Mutant Body, Mobian Heart
by The Mysterious Traveller
Summary: SatAM, Season III. A chance discovery while out on a mission forces Tails to confront the truth of his existence...and the role that one of The Freedom Fighters played in it. Now co-written with Asher Tye!
1. Past and Present

_Author Notes – Well…here it is. After being a fan of the show for ten years, here is my very first Sonic the Hedgehog SatAM story. _

_A few things that' cha need to know before going into this – this story follows the writer Ben Hurst's vision of Season III, Ixis Naugus taking over Robotropolis and enslaving Robotnik while Snively is left with little choice but to defect to The Knothole Freedom Fighters. As for how THAT will turn out, well…wait n' see._

_I'd just like to thank the fan community for all the support and advice they've given me while writing this – particularly Thony Hedgehog from the Saturday Morning Sonic website thanks to whom this fic has a title._

_Also all characters are the property of DIC and Sega of America…except, of course, for Zero._

_Now that all of that's out of the way…I hope you enjoy this._

**Mutant Body, Mobian Heart**

**Prologue**

**Past and Present**

**Then – Ten Years Ago, At An Uncertain Date Roughly One Year After The Coup**

_In the beginning there is darkness…nothing more, nothing less. _

_Such is natural in the world that comes before conception of a conscious being…a world that is the negative to our own and in which nothing can be thought or felt for there is nothing to be thought of or two feel or, more basically, nothing TO think or feel anything. _

_There is just sheer nothingness…a formless void which, depending on certain circumstances, may or may not one day become filled. _

_In the case of which I am about to expound…it DOES. _

_The darkness is pierced by a light that fills the emptiness and gives the void basic form…this light is that of a newly created life. _

_A new life which is nurtured as the union of sperm and ovum brings it to the point where its basic form begins to grow and develop – as it floats in the wet and sticky fluid which shall sustain it until it is ready for leave this place of warmth and safety, its consciousness too begins to grow and develop. _

_Slowly but surely, sensation by sensation, it experiences the basics of feelings and thoughts…as with its physical body and its mind, the full growth and development of these things called 'emotions' shall come later. _

_Next it reaches the foetal stage – limbs begin forming, struggling against the ball of nervous tissue to which they yet remain fused until certain areas of skin cell receive natural signals to die and the fresh new body-parts are allowed to unfold freely. _

_Two small legs which end in a pair of flat paws, two small arms which end in paws with opposable thumbs, one head with two pointed ears…and two tails. _

_The growth of fur will also come later…for the present however the growth and development of the foetus has culminated in one perfectly formed infant Vulpes volpes or, in plain Mobian, a baby fox. _

_A baby fox…who, as a result of some strange fluke, happens to possess two tails. _

_The creation of new life is one of this world's greatest and most miraculous natural gifts – but this particular new child's journey toward birth, toward the moment of his arrival in our world of light and life, has at some stage decidedly veered away from the natural. _

_Due to the wild card introduced into his genetic code as it was being written, the male cub now being nurtured in his mother's womb has one tail that is surplus to natural requirements – the Mobian Medical Dictionary would refer to him as "An individual, organism, of new genetic character arising or resulting from mutation." _

_To the world at large, a planet that regrettably contains people whose minds are much less understanding and sympathetic…he will be regarded simply as a freak of nature. _

_His story, now one turn of the page away from its beginning, is his alone to write – yet, whatever hardships he is to face and pain he is to endure and inner demons shall come to drive him, he will one day be forced to look into depths of his own soul and ask of himself the question that each and every one of us must ask ourselves at some stage or other in our lives. _

'_Who am I…?'_

**The Present Day – Three Months Following The Fall of Doctor Robotnik**

The murky room was a small affair comprised of four walls, floor and ceiling all made from flat granite – all would also have been smooth and featureless were it not for the series of deep cracks running across them almost like ripples in the layer of dust which had settled upon them all so very long ago.

So long ago indeed that they came second only to the tangled myriad of cobwebs which hung, like veils of gauzy silk, all the way to the gritty floor – these heirlooms left in the wake of the generations of tiny eight-legged beasts which had made their way through the aforementioned fissures in order to enter this dusty and forgotten place were, along with the spreading of those fissures and the settling of those particles of dust, had marked the passage of time for a considerable number of years.

As a matter of fact…this small chink in the grim armour of Robotropolis had lain undiscovered here for centuries uncounted.

Long before the coming of the tyrant with a soul of iron and steel who had usurped it and perverted all it had once stood tribute to – the man who had overthrown its just and rightful ruler, condemned the greater part of its people to an endless future of living death.

Though there had been a time when the cold metallic city had been called 'Mobotropolis' and (during the reign of the House of Acorn and before the conquest of Doctor Robotnik) been home to a wondrous variety of people from all walks of life, a kingdom in which the concept of living had been synonymous with those of light and joy…this dark dank nook was older than them all.

The existence of this secret room, tucked away somewhere within the belly of the enslaved nightmarish city, had never been known to a native of the planet Mobius…for it was so old that it predated even the very name of the planet.

Time - an overwhelming force, the left hand of fate, which had swept clean from the face of this planet everything from an era that had passed and gone before the arrival of the Mobians.

An era over the course of which this planet had gone under an altogether different name, one now known to only a small number of people, and had been ruled by an altogether different species…one that had ultimately all but eradicated itself from existence.

And yet…there are always fragments of the past which contrive to somehow escape the cleansing passage of time.

Fragments such as crumbling ruins and elements of cultures that once arose and fell, all of which provide clues to the presently dominant species of the existence of those who have come and gone before them…and, in certain exceptional circumstances, those who happen to have hung on and stayed.

Such was the specific purpose of the hidden chamber…to outwait time.

And throughout the centuries since the fall of one civilisation and the rise and subjugation of another…this was precisely what it had done.

During the accumulation of dust and the expansion of the spiders realm and the weight of the dead silence…it had waited.

Waited for inevitability, fate's RIGHT hand, to determine the end of its indeterminate period of lying undisturbed and undiscovered…a day which was destined to arrive in the close future.

All of this because of the curious article that stood erect in the middle of the room, still waiting after all these years with a patience which was the one thing that hadn't changed in all that time – riveted to the floor by long (and now rusted) screws was a round platform that resembled a pedestal and had at one time probably gleamed beautifully.

Positioned at the edges of its flat surface were four curved talon-like clasps made from the same alloy – clutched in their tight grip which had not yielded in all this time was something which would have made anybody, even while being pursued by a platoon of SWATbots, stop and stare blankly at it.

An egg-shaped globe which was translucent and yet cloudy like stagnant water – this ambiguous consistency would have allowed such an aforementioned hypothetical observer to just glimpse though not quite discern the nature of the shadowy form encased within the strange substance.

And the nature and identity of the one who had slept inside this artificial cocoon throughout the long centuries…?

**End of Prologue**


	2. Winds of Change

**Chapter One  
Winds Of Change**

_Well now…if this isn't all just stomach-turningly PEACHY._

The meeting-hall had always struck him as being something of a misnomer – to begin with, it was situated in the very heart of Knothole Village and on a platform which also served as a bridge across the wide river which has always run straight through the middle of this secret dwelling nestled away in deepest part of The Great Forest.

Where it departed from being exactly what it was named was the fact that the four wooden pillars which had been carved long ago into matching arch-like shapes had, while always having been intended to support the thatched roof and even now performed this task admirably, been designed also to make this gathering-place completely open to the outside air – this decisions meant that for many years the numerous discussions and debriefings which occurred upon each gathering here were accompanied by the sound of the wind and the leafs in the trees dancing together to the sweet and simple harmony of nature abundant all around.

Every lush meadow and windblown plain in the village was an opera…and he hated every last one of them.

He hated them – he hated everything about them right from the constant birdsongs, the soothing sound that the warm and gentle breeze made as it blew, right down to the persistent sound of the rivers endless journey through the forest.

He hated each and every individual piece which made up the composition of this grand symphony which flowed never-endingly – he hated the benevolence and beauties of nature all around him, ever mocking him unintentionally for the fact that he had spent just about every waking moment of the last ten years of his life trying to wreak destruction upon them all.

Last but not least of all he hated the fact that, after that long and bitter decade, The Great Forest was still right where it had always been – it was HE who had been torn down and was now forced to spend his days depending upon this standing testament to nature, forced to live with and rely on The Freedom Fighters who now shown him pity and mercy and duly granted him sanctuary among them regardless of the many vile acts he had committed against them. (And who he also hated…)

Snively Kintobor hated his life…but it was all he had and so he clung to it like a drowning man clings to a piece of floating debris.

_After all…fortune favours the wicked foremost. And one day when those Freedom Fighter FOOLS least expect it these constant winds will become the winds of CHANGE…_

As he stood next to the long wooden table, brooding, Snively saw that he was no longer alone – on one side of the pathway that led onto the platform of wooden planks there lay a grassy meadow which, in the fresh bloom of springtime on Mobius, gave off a lush radiance in the morning sunlight.

And through the long blades of bright-green grass which swayed in the thrall of the breeze's gentle caress and rainbow assortment of flowers which had been cultivated by Mother Nature's loving hand drifted the hazy silhouettes of a pair of figures…

"Antoine sweetie…" the drawling voice, so sweet and elegant, which floated across the meadow was made distinctive by an unmistakable Southern Belle accent.

"Oui, Bunnee?" just as the out-of-tune-clarinet voice of her companion of that morning was defined by an accent that was undeniably French.

"Doncha'll think this would be the most wonderful place to get hitched?" the feminine voice sounded both mischievous and thoughtful as its owner made this observation.

"Oh, oui-oui, Bunnee…whaaat?!" the clarinet squeaked at full decibels.

A giggle like molten chocolate, "Why Antoine, Ah do declare! Take it from me, sugah, your handsome face is burnin' brighter than the sun over yonder!" the female commented teasingly.

As the pair of Knothole Freedom Fighters drew close to the meeting-hall their respective faces grew clearer and Snively was able to see who they were…as if having lived with them for the last couple of months he hadn't been able to guess that anyway.

Bunnie Rabbot and Antoine Depardieu were walking side-by-side as they headed for the meeting-place – Snively's keen and ever-watchful eyes noted that, with every word that passed between them and every glance they stole of each other, the bodies of the two Freedom Fighters were little more than inches apart.

Now Snively had never had the time himself to contemplate such things back when he'd been as young as these two but, having always felt a pride in his sly ability to interpret the nuances and subtleties in the behaviour of others around him, he considered privately that the rabbit and the coyote might as well hold hands…

_SHEESH…why don't the two of you go and get a ROOM?_

The conversation was still going, neither of its participants having yet noticed the human's presence and interest – Antoine's face looked wary but intrigued by the direction it had taken. "Bunnee, this I am not understanding…it is true, is it not, that you were once were telling me that you were wishing to be marrying in Zee Void?"

Bunnie laughed, "Aw shucks sugah, Ah was only jokin'! Besides that ol' Void was pretty for sure…but glitz and glamour aren't everythin' now are they?"

"They are NOT in everything?" Antoine asked, his voice sounding surprised and his expression looking doubtful – probably he was thinking about the way in which nearly everybody he knew seemed perpetually impressed by the deeds and style of a certain hedgehog.

Bunnie reached out and pinched his cheek in her gentle paw of bone, flesh and fur – there was a knowing smile on her face as she displayed her affection for the coyote so openly. "No sugah…sometimes it's what's on the inside that's truly wonderful." She told him, her voice crystal-clear with sincerity. "And that may well be an ol' cliché…but Ah do believe that the oldest are often the truest!"

Bunnie smiled as she held her arms out wide, raising them into the clear fresh morning-air – as the rays daylight shining down from up high touched her body, setting it aglow with radiance, she spoke again. "And here's another little ol' cliché …the best things in life are free, sugah. Yes…Ah would like ta' have my weddin' here." She murmured, more to herself than to her friend, in a voice as soft and gentle as the breeze caressing her body – then, looking at him from the very corner of her right eye, she smiled and allowed her voice to subtly rise. "Ah just wonder who'll be standin' by my side when that day comes?" as she chuckled, the rabbit turned her emerald eyes toward the meeting-hall which she and he were about to step into – she'd wanted to see whether any of the other Freedom Fighters had arrived before herself and Antoine and, as she saw who was standing there, her gazing eyes widened a touch. "Oh…well hi there! Good mornin', Snively!"

As Bunnie and Antoine stopped in their tracks in order to stare at the short-sized human whose head was bald, his body as thin as a snake's and his long nose like a beak, Snively nodded curtly in response to the tentative greeting. "Yes…I'm afraid so, Miss Rabbot. Depardieu." He acknowledged them both icily, his arms folded – his own greeting made no secret of the fact that, out of the two, he respected Bunnie more than he did Antoine.

"Aw, Snively, now we've told'ja about that haven't we?" Bunnie's tone was mildly rebuking as she smiled at him, trying her very hardest. "Ya'll are allowed to call us all by our first names, ya know!"

Snively passed this friendly reminder over with no reaction…outwardly at least.

_Why THANK-YOU, BUNNIE…but I rather believe that I will have to pass. Otherwise I may find myself feeling too guilt-stricken to follow through when the time comes for me to terminate our little alliance…oh who am I trying to fool? OF COURSE I WON'T, AHAHAHA!_

"Monsieur…are you having your balls affixated to someteeng?"

This comment was more than enough to derail Snively's train of thought – his face was almost like a blank sheet of paper as he looked in shock at the person who had presented the jarring question. "I…BEG your PARDON?" he practically squeaked, his throat suddenly like the inside of a hollowed-out bone.

Antoine's eyes were frosty, his lower-jar jutting out in a decidedly confrontational manner, as he met the human's stare – his expression looked like a simmering mix of defiance and aggression. "What I am saying is that they should maybe being REMOVE-ED." He elaborated, his cool and deliberate manner at odds with his mangling of the language he was speaking, as he lifted his eyebrows into a meaningful arch.

Snively winced impulsively, "WHAT?" he gasped – was the coyote threatening him?

Had his deliberately disastrous butchering of that escargot recipe been so sadistic, scarred the coyote's mind so deeply, that Antoine had since borne a seething grudge which was now mere seconds away from erupting like a puss-filled boil…?

Then Snively was aware of a new sound as a rich as the warm breeze, as sweet as the sound of the running water – it was a sound even he could not bring himself to hate.

Bunnie was laughing in amusement at the two of them, "Sweety, Ah do believe that what Antoine's tryin' to tell ya'll is…" as she spoke her paw went up to straighten to her perpetually flopping ear – as always it flopped over again the very second she let it go. "…take a picture!" there was a twinkle in the rabbit's eyes which appeared flattered rather than reproachful as they gazed at Snively, "As in 'It'll last longer', y' know?"

Snively felt horror as he realized that he'd been doing it AGAIN…and worse this time he had been CAUGHT at it.

There had been numerous occasions, since the day he'd thrown his lot in with The Freedom Fighters, on which Snively had been both surprised and irritated to find himself doing it…staring at Bunnie.

During these spells he'd silently marvel at the effortless grace and natural elegance with which the partially roboticized rabbit walked, gestured and acted – not those qualities alone but, and it never failed to leave him flabbergasted whenever he realized that he'd been looking THIS intently, that of the sheer unbridled sensuality she was blessed with too.

Every time the spell wore off he would hate both her and himself all the more for his mesmeric attraction to her…though not intensely enough to make him to once and for all break what was becoming a deeply disconcerting habit.

Now that his hidden fascination had been exposed, Snively was deeply mortified but also relieved by the fact that the meaning of Antoine's question was now made clear. "Oh…" as understanding dawned on him, the sigh he uttered felt like air slowly seeping from a split balloon – then he gasped loudly, his normally clammy face suddenly like a ripe tomato in pallor. "…OH! Oh my…so you were actually talking about my EYE-BALLS? Just to make this absolutely and unmistakably clear you were in point of fact demanding that I desist gazing upon Miss Rabbot?"

"Is exactamentally what I am saying!" Antoine exclaimed, "Why are you not at first understanding this? Unless there is being some other meaning you are attaching to my words?"

Putting her paw to her mouth, Bunnie giggled and tactfully said nothing.

Once again Snively marveled as he always did at the sheer extent that Antoine was capable of mangling the English language – as a matter of fact the human had just as often wondered if this infuriating trait was in reality part of some secret cunning of which the rest of The Freedom Fighters had never dreamed of suspecting the coyote.

Could it be that the mish-mash of phrases and scrambled words were in fact a ploy to convince Antoine's peers that he was little more than a harmless idiot and thus trick them into lowering their guards around him…?

Often Snively's eyes narrowed into slits of suspicion as he contemplated this notion – always would he discard it however on the basis that he was fairly positive that Antoine really and truly was too harmless an idiot to even conceive such a devious scheme.

Snively was fortuitously spared the trouble of explaining his misunderstanding to Antoine…as every blade of grass, flower and tree in Knothole suddenly appeared to participate in en mass Limbo Tournament.

And that wasn't all – Bunnie's forward-flopping ear actually stood up straight for a whole minute before, as the natural laws of gravity were reasserted, it returned to its usual position.

All of this occurred as, in a shockwave generated by a surge that didn't simply break but shattered the sound-barrier into millions of countless and impossibly tiny pieces, Sonic the Hedgehog exploded onto the scene in a bedazzling flash of cobalt-blue. "Right on time! PAST COOL!" exclaimed the champion of Knothole – he honored those who had already gathered here with his presence, the grass that had stood in his path now bent flat as though bowing in respect of his peerless speed. "You guys would hafta get up mondo early in the morning to beat me when it comes to speed – in fact ya'd hafta stay up all night!"

And most of all...Snively hated HIM.

"Just like YOU did LAST night, Sonic Hedgehog." The person he'd carried in his arms commented with a smirk as, so gently and careful that many who knew him would have felt surprised to witness it, Sonic set her down on her own two feet – the paw she raised brushed her fiery-red hair from her crystal-blue eyes which shone dazzlingly as they were revealed. "You know…eating chillidogs until the early hours of the morning? So early that I had to get back up myself in order to make sure that you went back to your hut and got at least SOME sleep?"

"UHHH…" Sonic began to tap one of his sneakers against the wooden planks beneath his feet and roll his eyes under the strain of the intense mental gymnastics he had begun to perform – when his eyes flashed back to the pretty face of the Squirrel Princess a fresh grin split his face. "…NOPE! Don't remember a thing, Sal! And you and I both know what THAT means, huh?!"

Sally folded her arms across the front of her blue vest as she transformed before the watching eyes of The Freedom Fighters – as smoothly and easily as the river flowed below her feet she went instantly from being a normal sixteen year-old to being a figure of authority. "That you fried your brain by partying the night away?" she responded coolly, severely. "Even though you knew very well at the time that we were going to be holding an extremely important meeting this morning?"

"Nope. It means that if I can't remember it…" Sonic lowered his voice to a tone which a scientist teetering on the verge of a sense-shattering new discovery might have adopted, "…then it never took place!"

"Ya'll can't deny that we got here before you, Sugah-Hog." Bunnie pointed out, her voice as sweet as the aroma of the flowers swaying in the meadow.

"BUUUT…" Sonic raised a finger as he assumed the manner of a game-show host about to wreak utter misery on a contest who had up until now been on a winning-streak, "…I got here FASTER!"

"Semantic nonsense!" Sally exclaimed, clearly growing quite annoyed with the hedgehog. "YOU have GOT to be THE most THOUGHTLESS and IRRESPONSIBLE…"

"Sal, Sal, Sal! Don't start with the long words you know I'm way too cool to understand!" Sonic held out his hands in a placating manner and spoke soothingly as if faced with a hysterical female, "Why don'cha just start the meetin' and EVERYTHIN'LL BE OKAY?"

Snively permitted himself a sour smile as he watched an expression of total exasperation cross Sally's face – her annoyance as Sonic acted like SHE was the unreasonable one in this situation rather tickled the human.

When Sally next spoke her level and steady voice reflected dignified maturity just as her expression manifested irritated annoyance – though it felt galling her long-time, indeed practically INTIMATE, understanding of the hedgehog's seemingly bottomless pool of irreverence told her logically that rather than try to withstand it she would do far better to wait it out. "The others aren't here yet. Since Tails and Ari are both to play crucial rolls in tomorrow's mission it makes little sense to begin the debriefing before they've joined us." She said, her voice clipped efficient and utterly no-nonsense.

"And ONCE AGAIN the HEDGEHOG is TEN STEPS ahead of ya, Sal!" Sonic exclaimed, assuming the booming voice of a game-show host for the second time that morning – with a flick of the wrist, he pointed at the two figures now approaching them from one of the nearby huts. "Here come the one and only Big Guy and my main walrus right this sonic second!"

Sometimes Snively thought that the hyperactive blue hedgehog couldn't have been outdone by a ten-foot tall neon sign which proclaimed (in all of it's hypothetical glitz) 'LOOK AT ME!' when it came to being flat-out distracting…

"Good morning, Fellow Freedom Fighters." Tails the fox-cub's cheerful voice hailed his friends as he walked into the meeting-hall – he came to a halt, the sides of his red and white sneakers pressed together, and raised his gloved hand in an elaborate salute. "Freedom Fighter TAILS reporting for ACTIVE DUTY!"

Snively raised his own hand in order to shield his eyes as the young fox's bright-orange fur shone in them – three months since the ascension Ixis Naugus, a dark sorcerer of great and terrible power, and Tails STILL hadn't gotten tired of saying that.

"GUH MORNIN', Sugah-Tails!" Bunnie mirrored to perfection the gesture of respect, a grin on her caramel-furred face as she played along. "And WE'RE still glad that ya'll are here with us!"

Sally smiled in silence at Tails' bubbling excitement as it overflowed, as it shone in his vivacious blue eyes – after all why shouldn't he enjoy the feeling of pride at finally being a full-fledged member of their team after so many years of living under their protective wings?

"Whadda ya say, Tails? Ready to rock Robotropolis all the way to the ground?" Sonic wore a proud grin as he watched his friend's undiminished happiness and shared in it himself.

Snively winced inwardly as Tail cracked his knuckles in a lets-get-to-work manner. "Sonic…" his tone was calm as he replied, "…I'm WAY PAST READY."

"And WAY PAST COOL!" Sonic exclaimed – laughing, he slapped his palm against Tails' in a thunderclap of a high-five.

"And YOU were up WAY PAST BEDTIME last night." Sally murmured under her breath – a grin tugged at the corners of her lips however as she basked in the glow of the hedgehog and fox's infectious camaraderie.

"Yeah…you guys are, like, totally WIZARD!"

Silence fell over the meeting-hall like a soaking wet blanket as Sonic stared blankly at Rotor – the walrus lowered the blubbery paw he'd raised in order to share a high-five with Sonic or Tails, which of them seemed more inclined to do so, as he perceived that his attempt to sound cool had generated only confusion. "Uh…it-it means, well, I guess I should say that it USED to mean 'COOL'." He explained, his whiskery round cheeks puffing out as his grinned sheepishly. "So, uh…yeah."

"NOT cool, Rote!" Sonic expressed his disgust by making a rasping noise with his tongue (which in turn inspired Sally to express HER disgust by putting her hands upon and hips and glaring reprovingly at him). "The only wizard around here is the lamer whose party we're crashin' tomorrow tonight!"

"Nuh-uh!" Tails chimed in with a shake of his head, "Sonic, Naugus is a SORCERER not a WIZARD!"

"Wizard, sorcerer…what's the big deal, big guy?" Sonic not only looked but also sounded impatient now. "They're just words, Tails – Nagus is totally bogus whatever ya choose ta call him!"

In response to this comment somebody gave a disdainful snort – as the Freedom Fighters' eyes turned toward him, Snively realized with a sickening jolt that it had been HIM. "Words may not be YOUR strong suit." It was astonishing to hear his own voice speaking as if by its own accord, arguing his point as his eyes narrowed with scorn. "But they happen to be far from insignificant – know the meaning of a word and understanding of the THING'S true nature will follow."

Sonic was gazing at the short human as though he were about to nominate him for The Biggest Nerd In The Universe Award. "That's REAL INFORMATIVE, Snively." He remarked with a politeness so extreme that the invisible sarcasm which dripped from it burned like acid. "Thanks."

"You sneer and mock." Snively pointed a skinny finger at the blue hedgehog, "Believe me, I wasn't stupid enough to actually expect YOU to SEE anything beyond the range of your own nose – but I stand by MY words when I tell you that ignorance isn't a virtue, HEDGEHOG."

_In fact…other than your stupendously insensate pride, it is YOUR greatest WEAKNESS. And do not think for a moment that, when the time comes, I will not leap to EXPLOIT it…_

The silence that followed this little speech was slightly different than the previous one – as Sonic scowled darkly at Snively, clearly still raring to argue but now clueless about how to do so, Sally also gazed upon the human who lived in their woodland realm.

Her sapphire eyes were troubled as she felt the pure hostility which crackled between hedgehog and human, a raging maelstrom of disgust and contempt that was not just mutual but also swelled with every second that passed as the two locked eyes together…threatening, promising to one day overflow.

Give or take, Sally had acknowledged from the very beginning of this little arrangement with Snively, was essential in regard to maintaining his continued willingness to aid them in the war - in return for this assistance The Freedom Fighters more or else willingly continued to allow him to enjoy hospitality and relative safety in their village instead of, say, simply rolling him down the steepest and muddiest hill at the edge of The Great Forest and then leaving him to his own devices.

The Princess had never tried to fool herself for one minute however – right from the outset this 'alliance' of theirs had been based upon foundations so unstable that at any time, perhaps as soon as tomorrow morning or the following week, it could completely collapse.

This Sally and the rest of The Freedom Fighters knew full well in spite of their many attempts to make their newest member feel welcome, to be courteous and civil to him, to put out of their minds his many black deeds committed against them – the one thing that remained to be seen was when and how the inevitable parting of the ways would occur.

And it was precisely this unknown factor which caused the temporary alliance so anxious and uneasy…so electrified with tension.

As Bunnie stared at the short human in distress while Antoine attempted to fix him with a disfavoring glare, Tails watched the scene that had unfolded, his eyes wide and his mouth gaping in suspense…until another voice was heard to speak, evaporating the unbearable tension in an instant.

"I must admit, Snively, that that was very well said. Very well said indeed."

Each and every Freedom Fighter turned around as it reached them – all stood to full attention (even Snively whose pasty countenance was suddenly devoid of the scornful superiority which it had just displayed) as the rightful monarch of Mobius entered their midst, his fur shining like the golden-brown leafs of the autumnal season.

As he approached them with his paws clasped behind his straight proud back, King Maximillian Acorn's calm eyes swept over those assembled before him like a warm and gentle breeze – blue like the sea and just as deep, renowned for their tendency to shine bright when their owner was calm and grow dark in an instant when his anger was roused, they met those of all seven of the assembled Freedom Fighters as he acknowledged each of them in turn.

They were eyes with the power to command attention and respect from all those in their owner's presence, the power to rouse to action as well as to inspire courage in the hearts of all those who met them with their own – they were eyes which always made Snively feel deeply unsettled and on edge whenever he himself looked directly into them.

The King's eyes were, as ever, perfectly unreadable as they appraised Snively – though he had agreed to give the once traitor sanctuary, mainly because of his own daughter's firm insistence that Snively's intimate knowledge of the enemy as well as his undeniable genius would make him an indispensable asset in the ongoing war against the darkness of Robotropolis, it did not mean that the Monarch had been able to bring himself to forget let alone forgive the crimes for which his name would be forever reviled across Mobius.

_Funny…I wouldn't have imagined that my taking part in the uprising that left his land ravaged, more than half of his people roboticized and himself condemned to ten years of life in The Void would have such a detrimental effect on our relationship._

Walking with His Majesty was Ari the Ram – toweringly impressive in stature and muscularity, as always like a figure carved from sun-scorched rock. "Your Highness." He said in his deep and polite voice, a voice belonging to a man of many heroic deeds and few words, as he met Sally's gaze – then he looked at Snively (who had always been quite convinced that, had he been born a human, Ari would have been a black man) and greeted him in turn. "Snively." He acknowledged the diminutive human before going on to do the same with the rest of the group.

Snively didn't respond – it still bemused him that out of all the Freedom Fighters it was Ari who treated him with the most politeness and courtesy.

This in spite of the fact that it had been he and his uncle who had held the ram's comrades to ransom in order to blackmail him into luring Sonic into a trap, first by gaining the hedgehog's trust and then betraying him to them…only to roboticize all of them anyway even as he had been fulfilling his own end of the wretched bargain.

Or perhaps it due to that whole ordeal that Ari behaved as he did toward Snively – maybe the unenviable experience of having been forced to act against everything he had ever believed had taught the ram that life wasn't always so simple as simple terms of good and evil, shades of black and white, mediums of light and darkness.

Then again it may simply have been that when you were big and strong enough to tear ANYBODY apart then, well, it tended to make you considerate to MOST people who were smaller than yourself…

"Hey Max!" Sonic's manner, as he hailed his King, was so informal that the look of scandalized shock it drew from Antoine reduced Bunnie to a fit of silent sniggering. "You don't mean ta tell us that'cha actually agree with Baldilocks here, do ya?"

Snively glared at the impudent hedgehog – his blighted hair had always been a sore point for him but, for some reason he could never quite understand, his feeling of bitter resentment always seemed to come out whenever he was looking at Sonic.

Perhaps it was simply that Sonic was always so lively and vibrant that his body could barely contain him, always cheerful and smiling that he lit up anyplace he went in the village or indeed anywhere, always cracking so many jokes and slapping his friends on the back that they could not help laughing…serving as a constant reminder to Snively of how tired, miserable, sour and ugly him himself always was.

In spite of the sounds of choked spluttering coming from the direction of his guardsman, The King bestowed a royal wink upon the hedgehog who had done so very much to ensure that there was still a Mobius for him to return to after all those dark years of exile. "Truly I'm surprised at myself, Sonic." His voice sounded as frank as the answer that it conveyed – when they turned Snively's way again, his eyes were deeply grave. "Yes…in this case I happen to be in accord with Snively. For how can we even begin to overthrow he who is now in power if we cannot even grasp the WORDS of power? Or the POWER of WORDS? Yes – always must we remember to keep a firm grasp upon REASON. Or else we will find ourselves wandering lost and blind in the darkness without hope of reaching the light of day."

Snively slowly lowered his eyes, unable to meet The King's stern gaze for very long – although he had at some point over the long and bleak years managed to establish a coward's peace with the misdeeds to his name that didn't mean that the accompanying sense of guilt, which tended to manifest in the pit of his stomach, was extinguished or even rendered dormant.

It was always there and always inescapable, just waiting for something or someone, ANYTHING to ignite it – and as King Acorn stared at him in silence, those deep blue eyes cold and unforgiving, he felt it burn like the flames of hell itself.

Done with the now abashed human, King Acorn transferred the full measure of his attention upon the one whom he had saved (as he always did) for last – and as his eyes met hers the frosty glint in them was broken.

Sally was still as beautiful as she had been back when she had last been a constant presence in his life, her chestnut fur smooth and shining, her crystal blue eyes still as clear and bright as he remembered…and ten years older.

The King still could not begin to accept this undeniable fact – the small child from whom he'd been forcibly separated ten years ago had become a young woman.

It had been as though he had BLINKED…and, before his eyes had time to open again, ten whole precious years had simply passed him by.

The daughter he had sworn to protect even if doing so should mean giving his own life, the little girl who had once been filled with an innocent fascination about the world in which she lived was now an adult who possessed a sad knowledge of just how cruel that could often be – and also wisdom, strength and courage all of which were beyond her years and which she dedicated day after day to the cause of making her world everything that it COULD be in spite of its many flaws.

All of this and the gift which graced her eyes with that evening-sky glow – the compassion she had had possessed even from childhood and which had never changed, remaining an endless well from which she had drawn in order to keep her friends going over a long period of hardship and suffering so great an terrible that without her guiding and comforting presence they may well have been driven to the brink of despair over its indeterminate course.

When he had finally been reunited with her in The Void, The King's stiff upper lip had actually trembled as he had seen it – and the knowledge that he had been excluded from that part of her life in which she had grown into this woman standing in front of him, spoken to him in that hour which had been all too fleeting, had been painful beyond endurance.

And almost overpowering had been the urge with which he had been wracked to reach out and take her paws into his own, as if by doing so he could somehow take from her all of those years of pain and misery…and yet he had suppressed that yearning and instead given her a hug.

By giving in to it he would have been belittling this strong and brave woman whom his daughter had become – well, that, and he hadn't wanted the first thing that he did upon seeing Sally again after an entire decade to be embarrassing her.

At least that had been what he had thought at the time – on the day he had at last been freed from The Void, looked upon his daughter again for the second time in ten years, that awkwardness which had held him back the last time had changed.

He had looked into her eyes, those deep pools of maturity and wisdom filled with gladness and love – then he had looked around at The Freedom Fighters who'd stood around, all watching this scene from a respectful distance.

As with his own daughter, some of them he had last seen when they had been children – some of them he had never clapped eyes upon in his life (in particular the young fox whose number of exterior appendages had, upon first sight, made him do a double-take) yet all of them had smiled, deeply affected, as they watched father and daughter being reunited.

When he looked back to Sally's face he had seen that her eyelashes were wet with diamond-like tears which told clearly that, after he'd been torn from her life for so long, she wasn't worried about her friends watching as she was kissed by her daddy – so he had done so, taking her hands into his own and pressing his lips to her forehead, and she had melted as she felt happy and (for the first time in ten years) fully COMPLETE.

On that day, Maximillian Acorn had vowed that no more of their precious time together would be stolen from them – henceforth they would fight side-by-side against those who would seek to take it from them again.

And with every day that had dawned ever since he had honored that pledge.

As he realised that he was gazing at his daughter in silence, The King smiled, feeling not embrassed but glad – after his long and seemingly endless consignment to that terrible place, no amount of time spent looking upon her could possibly fall under the category of 'too long'. "Sally…good morning." He bade her in a voice filled with a warmth of which even The Void had not been malign enough to rob him.

Sally smiled as she wondered when she'd be able to stand in her father's presence without inwardly reverting back to a five year-old, a light-headed five year-old at that. "Good morning father." She answered with a warmth that even the strain of ten years of denied childhood had not been stressful enough to deprive her of. "A very good morning indeed."

Sonic grinned as he looked between the Princess and the King, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "Gotta hand it to ya, Max…you're the only guy I know who can leave Sal here lost for words!" he said saucily.

The Freedom Fighters (save for Snively who merely permitted himself a second sour smirk) burst into gales of laughter as Sally blushed and shot Sonic a killing look that promised she'd GET him for that – King Acorn chuckled along with his people, his comrades, his friends.

"Well on THAT note…let us begin the meeting."

Tails listened closely and carefully, his expression avid and intent, as the mission-debriefing finally began – he had not only to play a part in this mission but an actual KEY one.

What the young fox with the twin tails remained blissfully unaware of was that the commencement of this meeting regarding tomorrow's mission would mark the mark the beginning of the first chapter in his story…a story in which he would hear things best left unheard, say things best left unsaid, see things best left unseen.

Things that would strike pure terror into the heart beating away in his chest…

Right at the present, however, Tails had no idea of the dark time ahead…and so he listened to the talk of tomorrow's adventure with thrilled excitement sparkling in his eyes.

* * *

'All Roads Lead To Rome' – so it had been said long, long ago.

For many centuries after that proud mighty Empire had arisen there had been many a man who had cast his gaze back into the past and looked to it for inspiration – for that was precisely the nature of the status Rome had acquired over the ages, it was the ultimate inspiration for men whose own hearts cherished an ambition so hot and insatiable that it destroyed their capacity to rest until it was finally realized.

Conquest…

One such man was Doctor Robotnik – there was one significant and (for some reason) easily forgotten detail that men such as he tended to overlook entirely when they contemplated creating their very own conquering nation.

Rome had fallen…just as Robotropolis had now fallen.

"An awe-inspiring sight is it not, Doctor?"

Robotnik's teeth ground against one another, his breath grating between the large molars in slowly released rank currents of deep dark rage…as he was hailed by the accursed owner of that damnable voice.

Emerging from the throat of a sore-throated gecko which had recently swallowed the bluntest nail-file in the world as it seemed to, as nigh-crippled by asthma as the ears of anybody who happened to hear would immediately tell him or her it was, the voice contained a distinct flavor that could not possible have been mistaken for anything other than what it was – vindictive amusement.

Robotnik despised the voice nearly as much as its owner…mainly due to the insufferable fact that both held power over him.

As he turned around, Robotnik's face bore an expression of respect although the pupils of his dark eyes nonetheless burned like smoldering sparks – it was the dignity of an old cur which had been thoroughly whipped to the point of obedience and yet still nurtured a bitter burning defiance, constantly watching and waiting for its chance to slip its leash and sink its teeth into the throat of the one it had been forced to submit to as its master.

As he faced the direction from which his master had spoken, Robotnik felt the black loathing well up in the pit of his soul just as it always did whenever he was forced acknowledge the physical reminders of his downfall – this room in particular made him die just that little bit more inside whenever he looked around at it.

The hulking fortress in which he was standing had once been his, the room around him once his Command Centre…but no longer.

The side upon which Robotnik stood was comprised of banks of monitor-screens (which had stood blank and inactive over the last few months, their faces growing increasing dull beneath the gathering dust) and control-panels (which had once constantly flashed with lights and emitted electronic beeps but had now grown grimy through lack of frequent use or proper maintenance) – the side which he now stood gazing across at was, on the other hand, strikingly different.

It was as though the Command Centre had been divided down the middle and that Robotnik was looking at half of it as it existed in a parallel dimension.

And in a manner of speaking this was precisely what had happened – another reality had indeed invaded this inner sanctum that was no longer his.

The left-hand side of the room now stood bare, every last trace of machinery torn from it…and transformed beyond imagination.

From the floor, to the walls, up across the ceiling…every inch of it was now comprised of pure and sparkling crystal.

Where Robotnik's imposing throne from which he had once commanded the entire city had been there was now one formed from the same wondrous mineral – and seated there, tapping an expectant finger upon the corresponding armrest, the new overlord of Robotropolis stared straight back at his lackey with relentless spite in his almond-shaped eyes.

They watched Robotnik slyly over the pair of flaring nostrils set into his oval-shaped head which was perfectly smooth save for his wide pointed ears and the single crescent-shaped horn which from protruded from his forehead, quite hairless save for the long goat-like beard that hung from his chin and resting against the front of the puce-colored tunic that encased his entire upper-body – in fact not an inch of his lower-body was to be seen, covered completely by the pants of matching color which had been made in order to accommodate his lizard-like tail while allowing it to be raised in pleasure or flicked in annoyance with absolute freedom should either need ever arise.

It was possible that this individual was possessed by a neurotic desire to keep as much as possible of his body obscured from view – the fact that even the scorpion-like claw in which his left arm ended was encased in a glove designed so exquisitely that it didn't simply fit the crustacean appendage to a tee but was so flexible that its owner could seize and crush whatever came within his grasp just as slowly and pleasurably as though it were perfectly bare, would have been strong evidence for this psychological hypothesis.

But undeniably the most striking aspect of his appearance was the row of razor-sharp teeth which were currently bared in a grin that would have made anybody who saw it automatically think that their owner was about to lunge for his or her throat.

Combined with the high-collared black cloak that he constantly wore, this person might well have been mistaken for one of the mythical demons Mobians referred to as 'Life Thieves'…or, as they had been called long ago, 'Nosferatu'.

Indeed Ixis Naugus' grinning visage would have been enough to make a crocodile's eyes water as he sat back in his diamond-like throne and basked in the aura of immeasurable fear and impotent hatred that Robotnik was giving off like a reeking smell of sweat. "How can we look ahead to the advent of the new with open minds if we cannot pay our full and proper respects to the decay of the old?" the old sorcerer croaked, holding out his gloved hand in a gesture of such earnestness that anybody who didn't know him would have believed it genuine.

"How indeed, Sir?" Robotnik replied with sycophancy so smooth it would have put an oil-slick to shame – even one of his slipperiest ones. "Why the joy of the mere thought inspires unparalleled awe in the cockles of my heart."

"And so it ought, Doctor. The simple souls of this world have no idea whatsoever about what each and every last one of them, from the mightiest dragon to the most diminutive mouse, shall soon bear witness to." As he spoke, Naugus brought his claw slicing through the air in a dramatic gesture. "The rise of the supreme sorcerer…ME!"

"I deeply envy them that exciting surprise, Sir." Robotnik lied with the great ease and conviction that had once enabled him to climb high up into the ranks of the Mobotropolis hierarchy…before tearing it down.

"Oh DOCTOR!" Naugus tutted admonishingly, a wicked glint in his eyes as felt how much his lackey was squirming beneath the calm outer exterior. "There is no need for such humility on your part! For you shall watch the greatest epoch in the history of Mobius unfold before your own eyes!"

"I can barely wait, Sir." As he kept the words of ingratiation coming, just as smoothly as though he meant them from the very bottom of his cold and metallic heart, Robotnik furtively eyed the sorcerer's hand.

Naugus was lazily rubbing the tips of his forefinger and thumb against each other – now anybody else who saw this wouldn't have thought anything else of it but the good doctor was painfully aware of what a sharp click of those two tips would mean for himself.

As the deepest humiliation and the greatest loathing emanated from Robotnik's body, Naugus' own feelings were the polar opposite – he felt a pleasure so sublime that it sent a shiver running up his bent and brittle old spine, so euphorically ecstatic that it made him wish that he could revel in its almost sensual rapture for all eternity.

_Ah…vengeance! An indulgence much more compelling than the sweetest wine!_

What made his daily indulgence of this wicked trait so especially delightful was just how long Naugus had waited for it…and just how much longer he would continue it, draw it out and milk it for every last drop that it was worth, before at last he tired of the game and finally crushed Julian Robotnik just like the mere cockroach he was.

But, of course, that day was still to come – the old sorcerer still had some time to kill before the commencement of his master-plan and torturing his once betrayer just never became boring so, for a little while longer, Robotnik kept his miserable skin.

As his thought began to centre on his plans for Mobius, Naugus felt the drops of saliva which bubbled in the spaces between his teeth – for there was another great pleasure to come.

Robotnik needed to stay alive until the sorcerer's agenda reached its fruition – after a decade of watching the dictator's many failed attempts to conquer this planet, Naugus found the idea of forcing Robotnik to watch himself succeed where he had so often failed quite appealing.

Before any of that could happen, however, certain necessary preparations had to be taken care of – what Naugus required first for his plan was a vast area of bare natural earth situated within Robotropolis.

And since such a location within the city was completely nonexistent there was only one course of action for the sorcerer to take – the complete dismantlement of the greater part of the city.

And, while time-consuming, even this prelude was proving itself to be more amusing than tiresome – after all, Naugus had observed Robotnik standing in front of the window and watching as the empire he had held for ten years was undone piece by piece, hence the broad grin on his face.

_I have already humbled the one who had audacity enough to entertain the notion that he could possibly surpass me – first Robotnik, next the Planet Mobius. _

_Soon, VERY soon, MY reign of terror shall begin. _

_And when the hour falls…King Acorn and his Freedom Fighters, even their exalted champion Sonic the Hedgehog, will be driven to their knees by the peerless power of Ixis Naugus. _

_Soon…_

It was at this moment, just as Naugus was beginning to think that a decanter of sparkling red wine would indeed be the perfect compliment to his present humor, that a high-pitched electronic beep was heard – one of the few remaining control-panels was emitting a flashing green light, signaling that somebody desired to communicate.

"Now what could THIS mean?" Naugus mused, running his fingers down the length of his beard. "My dear Doctor, please be so kind as to press the button that shall satiate my practically FEVERISH curiosity!"

Robotnik knew from the mocking tone in his rasping voice that the old sorcerer was enjoying every second of this – and he knew the score too, that the enjoyment Naugus would feel watching him jumping through this new hoop would be as nothing compared to the enjoyment he would receive if he was to attempt a refusal.

Practically choking, Robotnik stomped every foot of the way toward the one terminal that remained active these days, just as he always did whenever he was forced to perform a task so beneath him…a task such as SNIVELY had existed solely to perform by HIS order.

Feeling like he was punching himself in the mouth, Robotnik pressed the button – with a crackle of static, a face appeared on the screen above.

Or rather the façade of a face – a metallic head split divided across the middle by a thin oblong-shaped eye of a red plexi-glass, equipped with built-in heat-detection and night-vision capabilities, designed to protect the complex system of wires and microchips that formed the brain of this android being.

The SWATbot staring out of the screen was part of a class apart from the rest of its robotic ilk – as a matter of fact it was the LAST remaining member of that class, the rest of its peers having met their ends at the moment of the Doomsday Tower's cataclysmic destruction.

It was Liutenant Omega, one of the elite SWATbots who had once led Robotnik's technologically-driven army.

"What is it?" Robotnik rumbled, his voice closely ressembling that of a sullen adolescent grudgingly performing a despised chore – orders, he was discovering quite painfully, were one of those things that were so much more blessed for one to give than to receive.

When Omega spoke 'his' gravelly voice showed no sign that he even recognised his former master – it was possible that Naugus had arranged for 'him' to be reprogrammed by TEKbots although it was more probably that the elite SWATbot simply realised the fact that supreme power had changed hands and 'he' was now acting just as would a human whose government had recently found itself with under new leadership.

Whatever the case may have been, Robotnik made a mental note that one of the first of the many acts of gratuitous urges for self-indulgence he would act upon when he finally regained rulership over Robotropolis would be to have Omega lowered by chains into a molten slag-pit…slowly and agonizingly.

Perhaps he would even go so far as to fit the SWATbot with a mircochip which would allow 'him' to feel the immense pain his fate would entail…

_When that day comes…_

"_**A report from the drilling team, Lord Naugus."**_ Omega declared, not so much as acknowledging Robotnik's presence in the Command Centre. _**"Progress with the operation has been impeded by something they just uncovered – something that exists outside of specifications."**_

Silence reigned in the wake of this announcement – Robotnik stared at the robotic Liuetenant with an almost blank expression on his face as he contemplated what he had just heard.

_WHAT…?_

"According their blueprints of the city, this geological stratum that they have discovered should not exist at all – regardless, however, the WORKERbots have uncovered it." Omega concluded 'his' report, 'his' synthesised voice having remained the precise same tone throughout.

Robotnik's mind was racing with possibilities as the implications of the report took hold on it – in the days that had followed his long-ago rise to tyranny, he had made certain that not a single solitary corner of this city had escaped his knowledge and absolute control. _Or…DID I?_ he found himself being forced to reconsider as he mulled the new piece of knowledge over in his mind. One thing was certain – there was a part of Robotropolis which had for all these years remained somehow outside his intimate knowledge. _But what can it MEAN…?_ He wondered, his dark eyes narrowing, his blood-red irisis glinting with rising curiosity.

"A penny for your thoughts, Doctor."came that hatefully snide voice, tugging him inevitably back to the real world.

A sickeningly hollow sensation engulfed Robotnik's entire being as he turned to face the shimmering throne once more – he'd been contemplating this new turn of events so intently that for one beautiful moment, for the passing of a single heartbeat, he had forgotten that he was no longer overlord here.

He had forgotten his utter vanquishing at the paws that accursed hedgehog and his insufferable princess, forgotten that he had lost everything including control over his own fate…forgotten his enslavement at the claw of the one fiend whom had ever struck fear into his immortal soul. And now that his memory was jogged, the crushing reality of his situation felt all the more acutely unberable…

The grin on Naugus' face was more vicious than before as he understood the anguish now welling up in his lackey's heart and savoured every drop of it.

_That's right, my old FRIEND…I have you right where I best like you. Under my heel. You have been cast down from the peak of supreme power to the very nadir of despair…and my favourite passion in life to to ensure that you never crawl your way out again._

"Hmm…interesting. VERY interesting." Wheezed Naugus, "A place which does not exist as far as the many and various maps of this city are concerned! Myself, I am most curious about this new development – don't you agree, Doctor, that this matter bears close investigation?"

Just as he had since the very beginning of this endless living nightmare, Robotnik found himself tested – but, even though the flames of his anger were stoked to the point of fury by the sheer spite glimmering in his master's eyes, he passed once more. "MOST curious, Sir." His voice sounded monotone, rendered barren by his battleground of emotions. "If I do say so myself, this discovery bears full and IMMEDIATE investigation."

"Great minds think alike, eh?" Naugus' grin would have made a shark swim screamng in the opposite direction. _I will be the one to exploit whatever opportunity this discovery may yield..not you._ "Suspend the main operation for now – order the WORKERbots to focus their efforts on the task of unearthing this most INTERESTING discovery." The sorcerer drawled lazily – as he spoke he did not deign to so much as glance at the onscreen Omega whom, just like the rest of his kind, he considered as little more than a suit of armour which had been granted the basest mockery of human life.

"_**Unearth it they shall, Lord Naugus."**_ Omega replied immediately without question.

As the monitor-screen returned to dull blankness, Naugus heaved a sigh and clicked his finger and thumb together just for the sake of it – in an instant, Robotnik's head was replaced with that of an oversized Dodo bird.

After all…what would life be without the occassional act of whimsical cruelty?

As the breath emerged from his newly transmuted craw in a squawk of distress, Robotnik resigned himself to this ordeal of humiliation, merely the latest in a long line – within his avian skull, however, his brain burned as fresh kindling was fed to his smouldering hunger for revenge.

_One day, Naugus… _

**End Of Chapter One**


	3. Sealing The Deal

_Author Notes - Hey there! Chapter Two here...and I'm currently working on Chapters Three and Four! I'm afraid that you'll have to wait until the fourth before the action heats up...this Chapter and the next are character-based and suspense-building! Anyway, hope ya enjoy this._

**Chapter Two**

**Sealing The Deal**

Like an infinitely wide and weightless blanket weaved from shimmering black silk, night had descended peacefully over The Great Forest.

The birds whose songs had carried so far and with such sweet clarity while fingers of daylight had reached into their woodland home were all sleeping soundly in nests, the sole exception to this otherwise universal rule being the white owl whose haunting shriek struck terror into the unfortunate mice whose timid lives were cut abruptly short as she swooped down upon them, her sharp cruel talons flashing in the darkness of the shadow-bound forest.

The far more miniscule forms of life which inhabited Mother Nature's benevolently beautiful yet also remorselessly cruel kingdom, such as the countless number of ants whose vast hoards tirelessly patrolled the forest floor on the look out for food and the slimy earth-worms which worked with ardent determination to expand the reaches of their already mind-bogglingly complex system of underground tunnels from which they emerged only rarely to wriggle and writhe blindly before they returned below, were swallowed by the night…the exception to this spell of nocturnal invisibility being the groups of fireflies whose bioluminescent radiances had in the past been mistaken for enchanted lanterns held by the hands of tiny elfin folk as they rode the ever blowing wind of the forest on a quest to discover the truth which lay behind its veil of endless mystery.

In Knothole, the one village which stood in the midst of all these shapes and forms of life from birds to beasts and through insects through invertebrates, The Freedom Fighters were either sleeping in their beds or else getting to ready to be doing just that – save, that was, for one or two exceptions to the rule.

The stars were arrayed in the clear expanses of that silk-black sky – like thousands of polished and shined diamonds which had spilled forth from the treasury of the heavens which had been mischievously opened by the sun on his way to the farthest side of Mobius, those countless hearts of celestial fire burned bright and so illuminated the crowning the crowning jewel of this amassed magnificence.

As round as an exquisitely formed pearl, the moon was full tonight and so blessed the hidden village with a radiance of pure white as she watched its inhabitants with a maternal protectiveness from her place up on high.

These lights shone together in the face of The Great River – reflected with a clarity so unblemished that the wide stretch of water might well have been mistaken for a mirror, they caused the eyes of Princess Sally to dance as she watched them in the river that flowed below the bridge which served as the one and only border between Knothole and The Great Forest.

Her elbows propped upon the wooden rail, the Squirrel Princess found her mind wandering in the calm quietness of the night – she found herself doing something she often did when she found herself in moments of such solitude.

Something that everyone did only not so intensely as she herself was wont to do to the point of utter exhaustion. Whenever she was not feeling tickled by the innocent and infectious enthusiasm of Tails as he talked in excitement of how he would one day be every bit the hero that his big brother Sonic was or reading to him before he drifted asleep or drying his tears when he was feeling unhappy, talking and laughing with Bunnie who was her best girlfriend, bearing with a grin (or more often a long-suffering sigh followed by a folding of her arm) Antoine's ongoing endeavours to hamhandedly prove himself to the rest of The Freedom Fighters whom had all long ago given up trying to convince him that there was no need for him to do so at all, listening with genuine interest as Rotor explained how his latest invention or his upgrading tweak of a previous one would lead to greater improvements in the daily life of Knothole, butting her head figuratively with that of self-proclaimed superhero Sonic the Hedgehog…whenever she was not in the company of any member of her surrogate family, Princess Sally would find herself THINKING.

Thoughts which ran so deeper and farther than the river whose unearthly beauty now entranced her…so deep and so far that she was lost, carried away by them.

"Chilidog for your thoughts, Sal."

The voice that broke the contemplative silence was as light as the breeze on which it ride in order to reach Sally's ears – slowly the Princess looked over her shoulder as she was drawn out of her thoughts. "Sonic…leave it to you to teach an old chilidog new tricks." She remarked wryly, smiling slightly at the hedgehog's own unique take on a very old turn of phrase.

Sonic was walking towards her as she looked at him, "Howzit hangin', Sal?" he asked as he stood beside her, paws resting quite close to her own upon the safety-rail.

As he returned her steady gaze with his own, Sonic thought that those eyes of hers were as deep as the water flowing and as distant as the stars above burning bright – most of all, they appeared melancholy. "Oh…" the smile that she gave was obviously intended to be dismissive but actually only served to make the aura of isolation and sadness all the more tangible and clear as it emanated from her. "…I was just…" her voice trailed off as the very thing she had been about to mention so casually overwhelmed her.

"Sal…" Sonic's eyes were suddenly serious as he watched her – that was rather unusual. "…it's been a long day, ya know? Even a Warrior Princess like you needs her rest so if you're feelin' wiped..."

Sally felt the corners of her lips twitch. _'Warrior Princess'…? _She thought in amusement. _Where in all of Mobius did THAT come from? _"OH…" she gave a deep sigh followed by a weary chuckle, "…this from the hedgehog who spent the greater part of last night eating more than his own weight in junk-food?"

To her surprise Sonic reacted to this little big not by pulling a face of comical indignation and launching into some facile argument in order to defend the honour she had besmirched OR by breaking into a huge cheesy grin and spouting something to indicate that his 'cool' somehow justified his thoughtless and cavalier behaviour – this time the hedgehog's eyes remained grave as they gazed at her, waiting, clearly not about to drop the matter until he got an answer that explained The Princess' melancholy.

Sally tried to look away, to cast her gaze back onto the river running below, in order to avoid Sonic's eyes – but it was as though she was hypnotised by the determination to understand and to help that she saw there, as though those two bright spheres were the ends of a magnet slowly but surely drawing her toward them. "I…" she began and then hesitated – she knew even before it had departed from her lips that it was going to sound lame. "…I was just THINKING." She concluded wearily and, just as she had feared, lamely.

But again Sonic surprised her – he did not try to make light of a situation that he didn't understand, didn't try to change the subject, but instead persisted. "About WHAT?" he demanded – most likely it HAD sounded feeble to him but it seemed as though he was endeavouring to understand, to take it seriously because he could see how seriously it was effecting SALLY. "TELL me, Sal."

Sally knew that she must look tired judging from the concern in Sonic's eyes – and suddenly, to her own great surprise, she FELT it as well. "Sonic…" she paused, biting her lower lip as if trying one last time to prevent the thoughts that had so deeply troubled her from being dragged out into the open, and then continued in a rush of words. "…do you think that this war of ours will ever truly be over?" seeing the surprised look that rose in the hedgehog's eyes, she continued before he could interrupt and disrupt her momentum. "Will we really be able to stop fighting one day…is it even conceivable that a day will come when there will be no more battles? A day when our family and friends will be safe forever and…" she broke off, finally tearing her eyes away from his and blushing. _"…you and I…" _those three words would have featured prominently within the sentence she had just teetered right upon the very brink of completing only to stop herself from doing so at the last possible second.

Silence reigned over the bridge – Sonic stared breath-taken at Sally, barely believing that he had just heard her ask that question. HER. Whenever Tails asked her that question, usually when he was snuggled beneath his blankets and waiting to drift off to sleep, it was always The Princess who would reassure him that however long it might take The Freedom Fighters would one day liberate Mobius from the evil which had dominated it – the warmly affectionate kiss which she would then plant on his forehead would then seal the deal for the fox-cub.

But now it was Sally who felt wracked by a gnawing fear and an ever-present doubt, both of which were manifested in her blue eyes – which was where Sonic came in.

A little of the old HEDGEHOG ENCOURAGEMENT was just what this situation called for. "Of course we will, Sal!" he loudly exclaimed, looking at her as though he'd have thought that it was blatantly obvious. "Is there any doubt? Seriously, we're gonna rain on Naugus' parade just as hard as we rained on Robuttnik's – before ya even know it, he'll have decided to go someplace else for his power-trip, you'll see!"

Even before he was half of the way through his gushing stream of hopefully reassuring platitudes, Sonic could tell that they weren't having the desired effect – judging from the way Sally now shut her eyes and loudly exhaled, however, something he'd had had ignited something within her.

"When we destroyed The Doomsday Machine…I just allowed myself to believe that we really had finally DONE IT." Sally blurted the words out as though she couldn't bear to keep them contained a second longer – her eyes remained tightly shut as the frustration wracked her. "But then NAUGUS took Robotnik's place as our enemy and this nightmare started all over again. Sonic…when will it ever be enough? Is ANYTHING enough? These past ten years we've spent fighting evil…I know it sounds trite but it's true. Even if we defeat Naugus…will evil simply take on yet another form? Have I been throwing myself head-first against a brick-wall for the majority of my life? Are all our struggles fruitless? Does any of it…our lives, our deaths…mean anything? Sonic, nothing seems certain anymore…"

As he listened to her ramble, watched her body start to tremble under the weight of the world, Sonic wanted more than anything to take Sally into his arms and HOLD her TIGHT – for a moment the only thing that held him back from doing so was that she looked so vulnerable he felt an irrational fear that she might break if he so much as touched her.

But it was no more than a moment – overcoming it, Sonic closed the short distance that had separated her from him, reaching out and enveloping the squirrel in his arms as he held her close.

For a while Sally melted into the hedgehog as she gave herself up to his embrace - when the tremors brought on by the emotions she'd keep pent up over the last few months finally subsided, she felt herself being eased gently back even though she still felt his arms protectively enfolded around her slender waist.

"Some things ARE certain, Sal." As he gazed into her enchantingly beautiful eyes, Sonic felt as though he was being carried forward by the current of emotions running between himself and the squirrel – he was abstractly amazed by how deep his own voice suddenly sounded. "Just like you an' me…US. And THIS TOO." Even before he had formed the words, the hedgehog knew what he was going to do – and his heart was pounding so hard, so loud, that he felt as though somebody was kicking him in the chest over and over again.

Sally also knew what was coming – and, carried by that same current of emotions which had led Sonic to take her into his arms, she slowly tilted her head back. As she did so, all of the doubt and fear which had caused her such torment seemed to flow away from her like water being released from a cup, leaving her face serene and her mind as clear as the two blue eyes that expressed it.

By her reckoning, a mere three inches separated Sonic's lips from her own which already tingled with yearning for this hedgehog who (while frequently so reckless, so arrogant that he made her stamp her foot in vexation) had always had a way about him…a way of being able to make her spirit FREE whenever her burden became too great to bear.

_Two inches…one inch…come on, Sonic, I thought you were supposed to be the fastest thing alive…_

As for Sonic…he felt the sleek fur of Sally's back against his arms, her heart beating against his chest, the slow and steady rise and fall of her shoulders as she waited for him.

Most of all…he felt desire for HER.

_Hold onto your boots, Sal…cuz now it's MY turn to seal the deal!_

"Ahem."

Dead silence reigned – the bottom seemed to have fallen out of the private and faraway world that Sonic and Sally's love had taken them both to, depositing both hedgehog and squirrel unceremoniously back into reality.

Standing at the western end of the bridge was the one person in Knothole whom neither Sonic nor Sally wanted to see here right now…mainly due to the fact that neither of them wanted to see him ANYWHERE.

Snively stared at the hedgehog and the squirrel, his mouth twisted into a sneer to which he was so accustomed that it felt as natural as waking up in the morning or drawing breath – if the tension between Bunnie Rabbot and Antoine Depardiue could have been cut by a knife, he mused sourly, then that which perpetually hung in the air between Sonic and The Princess could have been used to cut DIAMONDS.

Most who had not known the two of them as long as the rest of The Freedom Fighters would probably have assumed that neither Sonic nor Sally thought a great deal of each other – Snively on the other hand was much more OBSERVANT than most and thus saw otherwise.

All of those fleeting looks shared that the two of them stole of each other, all of those exquisite putdowns and ripostes that they received and returned between the two of them with such cool panache, that complicated handshake that they had devised somewhere down the line and only used with each other ever since…each and every one of those seemingly unimportant little nuances were in actuality the secret steps of the lovers dance in which Sonic the Hedgehog and Princess Sally were engaged during every waking moment they spent in each others' company.

Before, Snively would readily have wagered the last strands of wispy hair he still possessed upon it – NOW, based upon the evidence of his eyes, he knew it as an incontrovertible fact.

"Your Highness…a word in your ear?" Snively simpered.

Sally felt the sides of Sonic's spikes brush past her as he whirled to face the interloper – they were SHARP.

As she sensed the heat of the glare assuredly BURNING in Sonic's eyes, Sally felt the magic of the moment she had so nearly shared with him fade away. "Of course, Snively." She answered as graciously as though she hadn't been interrupted on the verge of kissing the blue hedgehog now bristling beside her. "What is it you have to say to me?"

Snively shifted the balance of his body from one booted foot to the other, feeling an unshakeable awkwardness – even though he had been accepted by The Freedom Fighters, however uneasily and reluctantly, there was one thing he was certain he would never grow accustomed to.

And that was simply being able to walk wherever he wanted whenever he wanted, to breathe the air without the possibility of punishment for having done so out of turn or without permission – basically he would never become used to living completely without fear of suddenly receiving one of the endless torrents of gratuitous physical and mental abuse that had once been inflicted upon him at his uncle's volatile whims.

Rather than free as a bird however Snively now felt constantly like a lab rat which had been kept locked in a cage for most of its miserable life, the rest of which had been spent performing countless repetitive tasks of soul-destroying tedium which had been in dispersed only by infusions of pain and suffering of a hellishness that no living creature should ever be forced to endure…and had now been released into the world.

An even greater cage, one which seemed to the scarred and conditioned mind of the cloistered rodent terrifying in sheer vastness and openness – so terrifying indeed that for his first few weeks in Knothole Snively had spent many an hour in the hut provided for him by The Freedom Fighters, cowering from the world that lay waiting outside the boundaries of the reassuringly cramped confines which enclosed him, the world that completely overwhelmed him whenever he was forced to look at it.

"Today Rotor and I finally pinpointed the defective fuse which had been depriving certain parts of Knothole of electricity – you may not yet have noticed but power is now once more fully supplied to the areas in question." Snively reported, his voice clipped and his words directly to the point.

Sally nodded her head – the lack of electricity had been partly responsible for her spot of spontaneous star-gazing. "Oh…" she awkwardly replied – she knew that it sounded abrupt but what was she supposed to do? Pat him on the head? Give him a medal? _Or maybe express a little RECOGNITION of his efforts? _The Princess wasn't sure who she was more annoyed with – HERSELF for being so slow to think of it or HIM for having inadvertently made her feel embarrassed by herself. "…well thank-you, Snively."

Snively lowered his arms down to his sides – to Sally's eye he looked for all of Mobius like a flag-pole with a nose. "Not at all, Your Highness." He replied, bowing low at the waist – now, Sally thought, he looked rather like the occupant of a cuckoo clock. "Is there another necessary task that you would have me perform while I am at my present loose end?"

Sally frowned – even though she found him irritating she couldn't help but feel a pang as she perceived the grey circles which ringed his pale eyes. "Don't you think you ought to…" guilt and annoyance reared their ugly heads again as she realised that she was making this sound like criticism rather than kindness. "…I-I mean, wouldn't you LIKE to get some sleep after all of your recent hard work?"

"Yeah. Why DON'CHA?"

Snively looked at Sonic, his thin eyebrow raised – it wasn't the fact that Sonic's pointed blue ears were pressed flat against his skull which told Snively that the hedgehog's anger was aroused by his intrusive presence here, no more was it the two sparks of black fire burning in those eyes of his.

It was the simple fact that, whenever he spoke in anger, Sonic's sentences tended to grow noticeably shorter.

Snively returned the hedgehog's unwelcoming glare with a snide smirk – it was strange that he who had once spent his every waking second treading on egg-shells around his terrifying uncle now felt able to flaunt his impudence in the face of such open aggression. Perhaps, he idly reflected, his time spent in the infinitely more relaxed and tense-free environment of Knothole had enabled him at last to grow a spine in order to replace the one that Robotnik's right fist had bent and broken so many times over the years that the word 'spine' could no longer have been applied to it – of course it may simply have been that his unaccustomed new bravado had its source in the secure knowledge that The Freedom Fighters would never violate their precious code of ethics by harming him.

_Unless, of course, I give them good reason…_

"I am sorry…" Snively addressed Sonic in a silky tone of voice, "…if my report to The Princess has inflicted undue inconvenience upon either of you. If that is the case then, my hand on my heart, I offer my deepest apologies." And he did indeed place his clammy left hand upon his chest – the mocking glint in his eyes, on the other hand, was anything but sincere. "I judged my report to be of great significance however, feeling certain Her Highness would agree that nothing could possibly outweigh the importance of knowing that the comfort of electricity has been returned to her people."

Sally hardened her lips into a straight line of silent anger as she realised that this comment was, though spoken to Sonic, directed at HER – it was perfectly true that the welfare of the villagers was far more important than any moment of privacy between Sonic and herself, however rare such moments were these days and how much happier they consequently made her.

It was for her people that The Princess lived and breathed – but for her sense of royal duty to be used by Snively as a way of slyly gaining the upper hand in an argument with Sonic was not just infuriating but inexcusable.

_If only there was a way for me to put him in his place without betraying my principals in the process…_

When Sally met the unspoken challenge her tone of voice was graciously courteous as truly befit a Princess when dealing with one whom, however insufferable he may have been and in this case most certainly WAS, had performed a service for her. "Sonic…Snively is right." She intoned – she felt like biting her tongue off as she did so but, as she knew that she would need it in order to perform her future obligations, her strong sense of duty prevented her from doing THAT as well. "He was quite correct to bring his report directly to me."

For a moment Sonic stared at her, stung by the reprimand she had given him, burnt by the feeling of defeat that was setting in – then he looked again at Snively and, at the sight of that expanding sneer and twitching eyebrow, decided that the war was far from over. "Okay…so ya GAVE it." The hedgehog growled, narrowing his eyes at the human. "Now feel free ta shuffle an' hustle your way outta here, Needlenose."

Snively felt a rising satisfaction as he saw the anger brewing in the eyes of the hedgehog – propelled by a morbid curiosity as to just how far the spikiest of The Freedom Fighters could be pushed, he decided to hold his ground. "Shuffle, you say? Hustle?" he bantered playfully, "To me those sound like DANCING WORDS, Hedgehog!"

Suddenly Sonic was standing right up close to Snively – or at least as close as he could manage without poking his own eye out on the human's nose. "YEAH?" he snarled, his eyes now deep dark pools of imminent danger. "Well guess what, I'm about THIS CLOSE TO RAPPING ON YOUR…"

"_Enough_."

The command was briefly uttered and low in tone – yet it gave voice to a will so powerful that, despite the intoxicating draw of their mutual antagonism, Sonic and Snively were forced to break eye-contact with each other in order to look at she who had given it.

Sally's eyes blazed like meteorites as she gazed imperiously at the two of them, transformed back into the indisputable authority figure they had so briefly glimpsed that morning – when she spoke however her voice was quite calm. "Sonic, stop this at once and stand down." Having dealt with the hedgehog, she turned her flashing eyes toward the main cause of her present ire. "Snively…now that you mention it there IS one more thing that you can do for me tonight."

Sonic stared at The Princess in stark disbelief – Sally was actually asking that slime-bucket to do her a favour?

The hedgehog just hoped that she wasn't about to ask the human to prepare her bath – Snively would probably toss in an electric-eel before calling the squirrel.

Regardless of Sonic's concerns, Sally continued speaking, each and every word passing her lips ringing like striking steel. "As a matter of fact…it concerns TAILS."

Snively raised his eyebrows at the mentioning of the fox-cub. _What…is it time for his flea-bath? _He thought, suppressing a snigger of mirth. "And how precisely are circumstances to bring he and I together tonight, Your Highness?" he inquired, his tone of voice satirical. "I mean, what do you want ME to do...read him a bedtime story?"

Sally didn't utter a word in reply to this question – she merely stood with her arms folded across her chest, a smile of magnificent wickedness upon her face as she silently looked him straight in the eye.

The wolverine-like howl of fury not unmixed with horror which rose over the treetops sent many of the nocturnal creatures running panicked for cover in the forest;

"READ THE LITTLE TWERP A BEDTIME STORY?? WHAT AM I, HIS MOTHER??"

_Now THERE'S a creepy thought… _Sonic thought, a grin having sprung readily to his face – respect for Sally swelled in his chest as he admired the supreme punishment that she had given Snively, disguised as what he had asked of The Princess.

"DO I LOOK LIKE I WEAR AN APRON AND BAKE COOKIES IN THE KITCHEN IN MY SPARE TIME?!" Snively's rant of red-faced rage continued at a frenzied rate, "IS MY HAIR IN A PERM, PRINCESS?!" his nose stabbed like a dagger in Sonic's direction as, in a quite fitting mix of metaphors, his suddenly narrowed eyes shot a deadly look at the hedgehog. "Why NO it ISN'T…" he hissed, going from blazing anger to deadly calm in a nanosecond. "…because, as a matter of FACT, I don't happen to have more than THREE hairs on my entire head because of SPEEDFREAK here!!"

Snively knew that airing his principal grievance against Sonic would earn him precisely zero sympathy from his present company – after the assistance he had given his uncle in conquering most of Mobius, roboticizing the majority of its people and separating from their families and friends most of whom had managed to escape that grim fate, expressing bitterness over the loss of his hair seemed distinctly petty. Snively however not only acknowledged this fact but was actually quite complacent with it – he WAS, after all, a distinctly petty person.

_Yes…I must allow that, as men go, I happen to be rather a small one. And that isn't because I'm physically short…_

"Is there a problem with my request, Snively?" Sally's voice was as light and pretty as the sound of silver bell tinkling, as sweet as the essence of reason itself – the smile on her face as she gazed at the human however was unmercifully hard, her eyes glinting with that undeniable steel of hers. "You DID ask me if there was any task I would have you perform, did you not?" she felt the anger stewing in his body as he glowered venomously at her, his narrowed eyes glittering like steel knives.

And then…

"RIGHT." Snively snapped – turning on his heel, he began to stalk back toward the village. "FINE AND DANDY. A-OKAY. PEACHY..."

As the faint sound of Snively muttering in disgruntlement faded into the distance, Sally felt Sonic jog her elbow – concern filled her eyes as she looked at the hedgehog and realised that his blue spikes were quivering like jelly, his entire body apparently wracked by convulsions of such immense pain that he could not even cry out.

"Sonic! Oh my gosh! Let me…"

Sonic exploded into laughter, "BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!" he howled, clapping his paw to his forehead. "Sal, Sal, Sal…that wuz just COLD-BLOODED! Way past cool! Seriously, how'd ya thinka THAT?!"

Sally smirked as she planted a paw against the side of her shapely hip, "Oh…the simple process of psychoanalytical evaluation." She had fully expected the baffled look that this explanation conjured up on Sonic's face and so she had further elaboration already prepared. "Put simply, I carefully studied what I understand of just how the meticulously precise gears of Snively's mind turn – then, based upon the findings of my analysis, I threw a wrench into them."

"Ya know, Sal…that's exactly what I first noticed about you." As he spoke, Sonic brought his face inch-by-inch toward Sally's – then, when their noses were no more than half an inch apart, he concluded that thought. "That big attractive brain of yours!"

Sally really couldn't help but chuckle, "Oh RIGHT!" she exclaimed, linking her paws together behind her back as her eyes twinkled with mischief – suddenly the squirrel was entirely herself again, the taut anger having slowly drained away from her as she'd given that explanation to Sonic.

"Say what?" Sonic squawked, taken aback by her reaction to the skilful manoeuvring of his silver tongue.

"So you're saying that, had I been born as ugly as sin, you'd have noticed my highly enlightened mind in the first place?" Sally inquired, mirth dancing in her eyes – then she sighed and shook her head, a tad regretfully, as her mind returned to what had just occurred. "Poor Tails – I'll have make this up to him."

Sonic snickered, "Aw don't you worry about it, Sal. Tails is bound to give Slimeley hell…after all, he learned everything he knows from MOI!" he assured The Princess.

To which Sally raised her eyebrow, "Hmmm…teaching your little tricks to a FOX as well as a CHILIDOG." She commented, "Tell me, Sonic, have you ever considered turning this habit you appear to have picked up into a fulltime PROFESSION?"

Sonic stared at Sally, his face as blank as it would have become had The Princess just explained to him that she intended on moving to Robotropolis and marrying Robotnik. "Sal…are you saying that I should be a TEACHER?"

Sally smiled thoughtfully – as a matter of fact the mere thought threatened to split her sides, "Even you have things that you can teach to others, Sonic." She said, her voice no longer mocking but sincere. "Just look at how Tails looks to you as his greatest hero, his main inspiration…his big brother."

Sonic's deep frown showed that he was thinking about what he'd just been told – REALLY thinking. "Yeah, well, I share EVERYTHING with Tails. Besides…" the grin that split his face told Sally that the moment of seriousness had passed just as swiftly as it had come – now it was time for the healthy dose of infuriating irreverence that the hedgehog did so well. "…a MORTAR-BOARD on this handsome hedgehog head? Can you imagine that, Sal? And thought of all that CHALK I'd get all over my gloves makes me wanna hurl! Plus there's all those APPLES I'd hafta deal with – would it KILL those brown-nosin' kids to grease the wheels with a HOT N' SPICY CHILIDOG? You know, Sal, you're right. I really did learn somethin' tonight…I ain't never gonna be no teacher!"

"Sonic…" Sally drawled sensually, leaning back against the railing and resting her arms across the smooth carved wood. "…why don't you put that mouth of yours to good use and kiss me?"

And alone with Sally once more, drawn by the beauty in her eyes and lulled by the tranquillity of the sleeping forest around them, Sonic sealed the deal at last.

* * *

The machine-made crater that now dominated the central point of Robotropolis was several kilometres in depth and like the interior of a gigantic oil-can in shape. Its consistency lent it the illusion of being an urban layer-cake which was slowly being devoured from the top down by a swarm of greedy metallic ants, the machines in question – with each and every sublevel unearthed, either a long forgotten railway tunnel which had lain silent and unused (except for the odd occasion on which The Freedom Fighters had needed to stealthily infiltrate the city) since day on which King Acorn's rightful reign had come to its untimely end or one of The Doomsday Machine's countless pod-projection shafts was revealed.

At one stage an especially large sewage-pipe had accidentally been broken into, unleashing a torrential river of unspeakable filth – the progress of the dig had been severely checked as a substantial number of the WORKERbots and SWATbots of which the drilling-team was comprised had been swept to their destruction.

When he had heard about this catastrophic incident, Robotnik had experienced a rare moment in which his sense of sheer outrage had clashed with his sense of ever-pervading oppression to such an extent that he had almost succeeded in actually SAYING something – ALMOST but not QUITE.

Although the Doctor had maintained his silence and ergo maintained his best interest, preserving his neck's intact condition, the sheer WASTE entailed by the fiasco continued to grate on him – WORKERbots, while remaining the lowest form of robotic existence in his technological empire regardless, had always been a valuable yet finite resource to him.

To Ixis Naugus, however, the roboticized Mobians were nothing more than expendable drones – neither as powerful in strength as the SWATbots nor imbued with a knowledge as expansively analytical the TEKbots, as far as the sorcerer was concerned they existed solely to be used and ultimately cast away once their bodies had reached breaking-point. And since it was the callous old sorcerer whose hand presently held the whip, Robotnik had been forced to bite his tongue and FUME.

At present, however, Robotnik's expression was one of smug complacency – as he stood five feet away from the brink of the yawning hole in the ground, straight-backed, his hands were clasped casually behind him.

The reason why the deposed despot stood a little taller today was that, from his place beside him, Naugus suddenly appeared much smaller – and the reason for that was also quite simple.

For anybody, the act of donning a pair of the protective goggles that sorcerer and servant were both wearing would have brought a sensation of both relief and disorientation. Relief due to the reassuring knowledge that their presence over the upper-half of his or her face granted protection to the pair of eyes that they encased. Disorientation, on the other hand, was little more than a trick of the mind – gazing through the thick lenses gave the wearer not merely protection but also an enhanced vision unattainable to the naked eye, an experience which often gave the new wearer a fleeting yet unsettling feeling of disconnection from what was going on around them. It looked real and felt unreal to gaze into the heart of a raging inferno without experiencing blindness as a consequence.

To Doctor Robotnik, on the other hand, this piece of cold hard technology felt just as natural as the moist pair of eyeballs set into his skull as he wore it – unlike The Freedom Fighters who lived side-by-side with Mother Nature, reaping the bounty of her harvest in return for their complete respect and determined effort to protect her from those who would destroy her, Robotnik relied upon and relished in the utilisation of machines. He had done so for so long in fact that the blood which ran through his veins may as well have been oil, his heart of a piece of intricate yet lifeless apparatus rather than the miraculously complex vital organ of flesh and blood that it was.

Robotnik had in short lived by technology for so long that he was practically one with it – and as such, rather than a convenience to be worn and removed when the need arose, the goggles were almost an extension of his body.

As he had been commanded to hand the sorcerer a set of them, however, Robotnik had felt a duality of sensations – distaste for his present role of dogsbody (I.E Snively) mingled with the unsavoury delight that filled his heart at the sight of the overwhelmed expression that had crossed Naugus' face as he had placed the goggles over his eyes.

The sorcerer's eyes were clouded by a growing agitation, an increasing look of illness, as they beheld the distant frenzy of mechanized activity. Though his mastery was indisputable when it came to the mysterious and dangerous ways of sorcery, Naugus looked as old as he truly was as he watched technology at work.

Robotnik barely noticed the stray specks of grit bouncing against the lenses of his goggles – he was gazing keenly into the depths of the crater. Today, progress had once more impended – this time, however, the obstacle encountered by the drilling-team had left Naugus intrigued rather than infuriated.

Located right at the bottom of the crater, nestled amidst the rubble like an item lodged into the brain of one who had suffered a horrific accident, was a most curious article – to all appearances it was a flat stretch a grey stone-like matter. It was square in shape, yards in meter and diameter – though it had apparently once been quite smooth, DELIBERATELY smooth, almost every inch of it was marked by a series of deep and swirling cracks.

Upon first uncovering this strange slab-like stone, the drill-team had been ready to conclude that it was little more than an unusually large block which had once supported some structure or other which no existed no longer – that initial conclusion had however been disproved when a SWATbot had rapped its metallic knuckles against it, revealing that beneath the 'slab' resided an open space.

In layman's terms, whatever this thing was…it was HOLLOW.

Furthermore a TEKbot, brought down into the crater by a Hover Unit, had yielded a second point of interest…that the open space was not EMPTY. There was something down there…something that the advanced scanners of the droid could not definitively identify.

And so the gathered robots had tirelessly drilled at the stone structure, their aim to reveal that which resided below – and it was just as Robotnik noted with wry amusement the agitated rhythm to which Naugus' claw had begun to open and close, the pincers twitching violently and jerking apart again whenever they touched, that the moment of breakthrough arrived at last.

The sound of precisely five drills grinding away in unison faded into silence – a dead silence descended over the crater as the small cluster of robots parted.

It was gradually filled by the sound of an anti-gravity engine – one of the flat metal platforms known as Hover Pads lowered itself smoothly into Robotnik and Naugus' field of vision. Standing on it was the figure of a SWATbot though not one of the regular variety – this one had been specially upgraded with an armoured exoskeleton. The dark-blue shoulder-plates, the matching arms and legs along with the sleek-black chest-plate had all been created from a reinforced metal which imbued 'his' already powerful body with formidable strength – this armour encasing his silver body was a testament to the fact that here was no run-of-the-mill SWATbot.

It was Lieutenant Omega. _**"The geological stratum has been penetrated, Lord Naugus." **_Reported the Elite SWATbot in 'his' robotic drone of a voice, 'his' fists clenched around the hand-rail of the Hover Pad. _**"I await your order regarding how to proceed."**_

As Robotnik stifled a grunt of impatience, Naugus coughed awkwardly – the familiar self-assured arrogance seemed to flow back into his eyes as they cleared of the daze which had filled them. "How INDEED?" he exclaimed – his voice sounded like he had just inhaled a significant quantity of helium but, with a cough, he regained complete control of himself and when he spoke again it was with his accustomed drawl. "NOW…it appears that from this point onward we venture into the indistinct and murky region of the unknown. What this situation calls for, it would seem to me, is for some party to BRAVE the unknown in order to ascertain whether danger lies ahead."

_Naturally… _Robotnik thought irritably, rolling his eyes as he waited for Omega to be despatched into the hole at the bottom of the crater. _So why don't you stop wasting your belaboured breath and give the order, you old fool?_

After a moments thought, Naugus resumed speaking;

"Lieutenant, would you be so ACCOMODATING…"

_Finally… _Robotnik thought, his anticipation rising.

"…as to step down from that quaint contraption and allow my friend THE DOCTOR to hop onto it so that he may perform the necessary task that I have just outlined?"

Robotnik felt as though his capacious stomach had just turned itself inside out as his mind processed what he had just heard – when his eyes found Naugus' face, he saw that that the sorcerer's sickening grin had returned.

"Oh yes, my redoubtable friend – I choose to entrust this task unto YOU." Naugus purred – if, that is, one could have called the sound of a rusty nail being pulled slowly from a plank of rotting wood 'purring'. "You have served me well and loyalty is a trait deserving of the greatest and most fitting reward – and it is for that reason that I select you to perform this honour. For you LIKE getting your hands dirty, do you not?"

Never before had Robotnik yearned to throttle the old monster more than he did at that moment. _Oh yes, old boy… _he thought silently as his breath became a slow current of pure hatred. _…and right now I would like to wrap them around your ARTHRITIC NECK…oh yes, I should dearly LOVE to get to grips with YOUR NECK, to twist it like a BOTTLE-TOP… _"Why yes, sir." The Doctor's ingratiating voice was at complete odds with the maelstrom roaring within him. _Control yourself, RIGHT NOW! _"I am so eager that I can barely contain myself!"

Minutes later, Robotnik and Omega had exchanged places – the hulking human stood upon the Hover Pad whereas the robotic centurion was now standing beside Naugus, 'his' arms folded behind 'his' back in a stance of attentive respect.

With a hum of highly-advanced technology, the Pad began its ascent into the air…an ascent which slowed to a juddering halt almost immediately at a mere five feet above terra firma. As the hum of the Pad lowered to what may well have been a moan of complaint, Robotnik ground his teeth at this fresh humiliation – his finger practically stabbed the button that increased the power-level of the anti-gravity engine.

Now able to bear its new burden, the Pad resumed its journey upward – as he was carried toward his destination, Robotnik heard the wheezing cackle of Naugus cachinnating behind him. The boot was now on the other foot…and with a vengeance.

As he slowly descended below street-level, however, the mockery of the sorcerer was quickly driven from Robotnik's mind – as the exposed sides of the urban layer-cake rose up around him he was forced to choke back the bile rising in his throat, the overpowering stench of the unearthed sewer-lines was utterly atrocious!

Down past the gaping mouths of tunnel and the jagged pipes Robotnik descended, not receiving so much as a glance from the SWATbot and WORKERbots he passed on the way – another slap to the face for the former ruler of the city.

After a period of time which felt like hours but was actually little more than ten minutes, The Hover Pad brought Robotnik reached his destination. The stone slab was eerily pale in the shadows of the crater - the jagged-edged hole that it had recently acquired rose up like the dark maw of a giant ant-lion that had been disturbed by the dig.

As he looked around at his new surroundings, Robotnik saw that a group of WORKERbots were standing around the hole they had just created, their bodies forming a tight ring – it was suddenly brought home to him that trapped within those metallic bodies, those cold and lifeless shells, were the helpless minds of the Mobians they had once been. Minds which had been forced to endure the endless horrors of the slavery to which they had been subjected over the course of his reign…minds which, as he descended into the unknown, were most assuredly hoping and praying that some horribly gruesome end now awaited their former master.

Thankfully the hole which their labour had created was wide enough in order to accommodate his girth – the first thought to cross his mind as he was engulfed in darkness was that he liked the hole better from the outside.

An impression which was only reinforced by the foul and inescapable smell of dust and decay which assaulted him almost immediately, rendering him powerless to do anything other than cough so hard that he brought up the sparse contents of his stomach – when the violent convulsions had mercifully passed, Robotnik clamped one gloved hand over his mouth in an attempt to avoid inhaling the hostile atmosphere of this place which reminded him of the inside of a black and rotting tooth.

Aided by the beam of light projected by the Pad, he turned his narrowing eyes this way and that as he began his investigation – his transient glimpses of the cobwebbed and cracked walls made him think of a TOMB; a place into which a fragment of the past was consigned, concealed from the light of the present day, buried away in order to make way for the coming of the future.

For a long while, Robotnik's face was twisted into an expression of distaste as he inspected his surroundings – it was born upon his mind that the reason the existence of this place had escaped his notice for all those years quite simply because it was completely and utterly unworthy of it.

It then, THEN, that the beam of light cast the centre of the secret room into illumination…and as he took in the sight now laid bare to his eyes, any notion that the contents of this place were insignificant on any level was completely obliterated from The Doctor's mind. His fists were clenched so tightly upon the hand-rail that the gloves he wore almost split at the knuckles…as he stood as still as the dust-encrusted walls, captivated by the bizarre just ahead.

Bizarre…yet at the same time beautiful. Its very existence filled Robotnik's mind with blank incomprehension as its flawless perfection beguiled him – as the mind of The Doctor finally succeeded in accepting that very existence, his confusion gave way to contemplation, far though he yet remained from determining just what in the world this could be.

As he watched its glittering contours split his beam into several shafts of rainbow-coloured light, however, something began to stir in one of the farthest and deepest corners of his mind…a memory. A memory from a part of his life on which he had turned his back upon long ago, considering it a chapter of the past forever closed to him – the memory of an event that he had, at the time, dismissed as totally inconsequential.

_No…it couldn't be. The technology was in little more than embryonic-stage when the two of us set off for… _Robotnik realised that uncertainty was stealing over him even as his mind formed that incredulous thought – as he studied the spectacle which had transfixed him, the memory became gradually clearer in his mind. A substance that he and certain others had been shown in a raw and crude proto-typical form on a day long ago…a substance that, if the suspicion which was beginning to solidify in his mind was correct, he now saw before him in a far more advanced and perfected form. Robotnik vaguely realised that he had been holding his breath as these memories flashed through his mind – as he released it in a slow exhalation, his mind actively contemplated the implications held by the clear truth that it had just been forced to acknowledge. _So…they really DID it then. They actually managed to take a break from devising more elaborate means of KILLING one another and instead succeeded in… _"Well, well…" the words came unbidden to Robotnik's mouth as he raised a hand to flick at his long ginger moustache. "I can't imagine what the asthmatic old goat is going to make of this!" _What Naugus' wax-encrusted ears don't hear won't hurt ME, after all…_

"Oh DOCTOR…" an unmistakable voice tutted from his side, "…you simply do not respond positively to KINDNESS!"

It was with a stab of breath-taken horror that Robotnik whirled around to see…NAUGUS. The sorcerer wore a transparent breathing-apparatus over the lower half of his face and the look that was visible upon it was one more of deeply profound sorrow than of intense blind rage – The Doctor, however, knew the old sadist simply far too well by now to begin believing it to be genuine.

"How sharper than a serpents sting did those words of black ingratitude pierce my heart – you cannot begin to understand how much it truly pains me that you have chosen to smite me with the very Olive Branch I gave to you." Naugus sigh deeply, shaking his smooth head slowly in sad resignation. "But no matter, no matter. After all…I have undertaken to do my very best to educate you, my friend. You may learn in time not to bite the hand that feeds you – I sincerely hope that this minor bump in the road poses no serious threat to this relationship which we have both been working so hard upon."

The sorcerer punctuated this remark with a click of forefinger and thumb. One moment Robotnik had been thinking that Naugus' use of that old phrase simply had to have been meant figuratively rather than literally, the sporadic rumbling of his stomach attesting to the plain fact that while the sorcerer had given many orders since his takeover, the order to EAT hadn't been frequently heard – in the next moment, however, his ravenous hunger and even his fear were banished entirely from mind as he took his next breath of air.

And found himself CHOKING on it. Naugus' magic had transmogrified his head once again…this time into that of a human-sized catfish!

As Robotnik released his grip on the hand-rail in order to slump to his knees and clutch at his tortured windpipe, he heard Naugus give another click of finger and thumb – rather than merciful release or further anguish, however, this second gesture brought light flooding into the secret room. As the sphere of magical light that Naugus had called into existence generated an influx of intense incandescence, Robotnik was forced to use his arms to shielded his eyes from the blinding glare – perhaps due to his prolonged period in The Void, the sorcerer did not so much as blink as he gently tossed the ball of light into the air like a carrier-pigeon.

As it floated there like a Willo the Wisp, Naugus' voice wheezed forth again. "When no cry of fear or pain followed your descent, it was clear that it was safe for me to accompany you further upon this invigorating little escapade." Just a touch did his crafty eyes narrow as they gazed upon that which had lain secret and undisturbed for so many years in this mysterious place. "WELL now…no danger or so it would seem! And yet…what HAVE we discovered?"

Clutched between the rust-pitted claws of metal, the egg-like cocoon shone like a diamond as Naugus studied in intently – in the stark new light, its smooth and curving face did not appear quite so featureless.

Within the confines of the cocoon…the shadowy silhouette of the figure encased within remained dormant and waiting.

Waiting for the moment which had at last…come.

**End of Chapter Two**


	4. The Awakening

_Author Notes - Here we go! Chapter Three! Hey Renz, you'll notice that I've started using italics rather than full-caps in order to stress things. Also, though I'd personally think that this is pretty obvious, I'd like to state here and now that I do __not __(I repeat __not__) own "The Hobbit". The Tolkien Estate does. Well...now that we've gotten that out of the way, enjoy!! _

**Chapter Three**

**The Awakening**

Aunt Sally was taking her time with getting to him tonight, he noticed – and it was with a surprised discomfort which Tails realised that he didn't really mind it all that much.

It was bedtime...but Tails was definitely not thinking of sleep. The fox-cub was perched at the edge of his bed, his legs dangling halfway to the floor – for once in a while his white-furred feet were bare as his white sneakers sat together on the other side of the bed, ready and waiting for him to jump back into them come the eve of tomorrow. Tails would be receiving a very early wake-up call indeed – there were many last-minute preparations which would need to be gone over tomorrow before, come nightfall, he set off from Knothole in the company of his fellow Freedom Fighters.

Destination…Robotropolis.

Tails watched silently as the wick of his bedside candle burned with a golden light – he'd spent the last hour thinking about tomorrow's mission, of the key role that had been officially bestowed upon him to the effusive congratulations of Sonic, a comradely slap on the shoulder from Ari and even an encouraging wink from The King himself. As his mind had been occupied by his appointed task, Tails' blue eyes had convalesced with pride…even as his stomach churned with a nervousness that he would sooner have died than allow Sonic to become aware of.

As the candle gradually melted into a dribbling glob, Tails now looked neither excited nor even nervous – he simply looked troubled as he thought about Aunt Sally. The fox-cub still remembered the nights when he had lain in bed and waiting eagerly for his Aunt Sally to come and read him a bedtime story, terrified that if he didn't keep his wits about him and his eyes wide open then he would fall asleep and that she would simply tuck him in and leave him for the night when she finally did come. He had kept toes as well as his fingers crossed that this magical hour that they'd always shared would not be ruined by some crisis which might arise unexpectedly, demanding The Princess' immediate attention – this truly appalling calamity had indeed occurred in the past, not often but the mere possibility that such a bitter disappointment might transpire again had been enough to make Tails release his held breath with immense relief at the moment that Aunt Sally did mercifully walk in, bringing with her a smile of a warmth with which his nightly candle could not hope to compete.

These days however…

Tails' expression became increasingly troubled as he thought about it – it wasn't that he now loved Sally any less nor was it that her presence no longer lit up his hut or even that her smile had ceased to make him feel loved whenever she gave it to him. It still felt nice when The Princess tucked him in and read to him, it was just that it also felt, well…

Tails felt a sigh coming on. _Everything's changing… _thought the fox-cub sadly, his pointed ears dropping. And it was true. It was the cold hard undeniable truth. He knew it and, whether she wished to concede to it or else to cry off the inevitable moment of acknowledgement for as long as she possibly could, he had a feeling that Sally knew it too. Whether she continued reading him to sleeping and kissing him goodnight because she still felt unwilling to let go of him, whether he did his best to ignore the growing embarrassment he felt about still _having_ a bedtime in order to make her happy, the truth was incontrovertible…Tails was growing up.

It was just as the fox had finished this thought that he heard a sound which instantly dissolved it – and it was also then that, his ears pricking up in reaction to the turning of the door-knob, he _moved_. With the swiftness he had learnt by watching Sonic, Tails leapt into the air as though his bed turned white-hot – in a skilful move taught to him by Bunnie during their Martial Arts lessons, the fox performed a somersault and landed beneath his blanket with fluid precision just as the door opened. "Aunt Sally!" he exclaimed, giving the long yawn he had down to perfection. "I was just about to go to…" his voice trailed away as he saw just who was stepping through the doorway and into his hut.

Snively frowned severely at him. It had always struck the human as peculiar, the ease with which The Freedom Fighters had embraced Tails' presence among them – judging from his own childhood, most particularly the hours he'd spent sitting in class whilst exerting every ounce of willpower he'd possessed on the Herculean task of ignoring the saliva-soaked paper pellets constantly being fired at the back of his head, Snively found it extraordinary how the rest of the Knothole villagers looked after the young fox just as though he was kin to him, as though his blood was their own, when the undeniable truth was that he was far different from the rest of them.

Something told him that, had she ever heard him voice this inability to understand, Sally would have frozen him with a look of the utmost scorn and said _"No – I believe I can safely say that you __wouldn't._

_Hmph…whatever._

As for the second tail which flowed quite naturally alongside his first, (Or was _that one _in fact his second tail?) Snively had always wondered about that. From what Snively had picked up from the villagers of Knothole, Tails had been discovered in The Great Swamp by Sonic and Sally when he'd still been a tiny cub – as well as the enigma of his very existence there was something else about him that niggled at Snively's mind whenever the child was in his presence. Sometimes even when he wasn't.

Snively couldn't believe that he was putting it like this, even in the sanctified privacy of his own mind, but it was as though something radiated in the fox's eyes…a pure radiance, a light which shone bright and never went out. It engaged and delighted Sally and Bunnie to same extent to which it irritated Snively just like a dose of bug-spray deployed into his eyes by a careless hand.

The presence of the two-tailed fox had remained a source of great interest and speculation for weeks after he'd been brought back to the village by Sonic and Sally who had begun caring for him – some of the more superstitious villagers had even declared that the cub, who had been christened 'Tails' by this time, was in fact part of a species of mythical foxes; the Kitsunes. And by those who chose to believe this, Tails' arrival in Knothole had been perceived as a good omen. And, though his presence in their midst had long been embraced, there were a few who still looked at him in curiosity from time to time…wondering if, when next they saw him, he would have more than just _two_ tails.

Snively didn't know about any of that – personally, he'd always settled for wondering how Tails was able to spin those things for so long during flight without them dropping off due to extreme exhaustion.

Oblivious the thoughts of the human, Tails returned his scowl of disfavour admirably. "Oh…you." He said, not very politely.

As he shut the door firmly behind him, Snively gave the fox-cub a withering look. "Yes, yes, _I'm_ here." He snapped waspishly, "And _I'm_ not…" at this point the human pulled his rubbery face into an exaggeratedly childish expression and whined shrilly, "…Auuunt Saaally!"

"Well _duh_…" Tails muttered as he glowered unwelcomingly at the human.

Snively smirked, feeling a certain comfort in the sour knowledge that Tails was about to have his nose put out of joint just as his own had been. "I fear that Her Highness is, shall I say, _indisposed_ tonight." A tinge of revulsion briefly crossed his face as he skirted clear of the spot of courtship that he had witnessed minutes earlier, "As such it is her request, and who am I to even think of refusing her royal wishes, that your bedtime story of this night be read by _me_. Presumably one of the benefits of royalty is the enviable privilege of passing unenviable tasks on to one's subordinates…"

Tails' eyes widened and then narrowed at the implication of that last sneering remark, "Nuh-uh!" he exclaimed in swelling indignation, anger at the mere idea that Sally might look upon him as a mere inconvenience, a burden to be dumped upon somebody else. "Sally wouldn't even _think_ that…"

Snively breathed a long and deep sigh intended to show Tails that the fox-cub was being just _too_ stupid but that he was endeavouring to put up with him anyway. "Tails, the decision was made by The Princess and is as such irreversible at this juncture of the proceedings." He clipped the words off with a mechanical precision – he knew even now that the next half hour or so was going to be death, he just _knew_ it. "Believe me when I tell you that I am no more pleased with the situation than you are but, as we are stuck with it, why don't we simply try to work our way through it as smoothly and as painlessly as possible? That way tomorrow will come much quicker and allow the two of us to move on with both our lives. And by the way, I heard you jump into bed as I came in. So you needn't bother to lie to me, you deceitful little pig!"

Tails didn't respond to any of this – as a matter of fact he was not sure just how much of it he had even understood. As he stared back at the small human, however, his bright-blue eyes gave a gleam that was distinctly Sonic-like. _Smoothly and painlessly, huh? _He thought, mentally cracking his knuckles. _How about __bumpily__ and __torturously__ instead?_

Clearly believing that the battle was won and that he was the clear victor, Snively turned on his heel and marched over to the bookshelf…not seeing the fittingly foxy grin which split the face of the watching Tails.

Snively's short stature made it unnecessary for him to stoop in order to glance across the spines of the books – with several dismissive clicks of the tongue, he ruled out volume after volume until he reached the very end of the shelf. And that was precisely where he found _it_. "Well, _well_." He muttered as he plucked the thick volume from its accustomed place on the shelf and studied its cover with interest, "I never thought that I'd see this old turkey again. Well…I suppose that it's as good as any."

As Snivel turned and walked back toward his bed, Tails recognised the cover of the book he was holding – a dragon, not one with bright-green scales and a friendly smile like Dulcy but one whose scales burned a bloody red and snarled fiercely as it flew over a mist-crowned mountain. It was the book that Sally had given to him for his most recent birthday, proclaiming that she believed he was now old enough to 'appreciate' it – The Princess hadn't yet gotten around to reading it for him but, from flicking randomly through it, the impression which it made on Tails was that it was much longer than the rest of his books as well as filled with words that he didn't recognise.

This was the book which Snively now opened at the first page and, clearing his throat in resignation, began to read to Tails. "_In a hole in the ground there lived…_" he recited in a voice which was so flat and emotionless that, rather than a fantastic tale filled with magic and wonder, sounded as though he was rattling off some officious (which was to say _boring_) report.

"_No_!" Tails exclaimed loudly as he sprang upright in his bed, "No, that's not right at all! You're reading it wrong!"

Snively lowered the book again – his expression was one of irritation as he stared at the complainant fox, flustered at having been interrupted barely after he'd begun. "Oh?" he inquired, an inflection of acidic sarcasm seeping into his voice. "And why is that? Am I holding the book upside-down as I read it? Or is it that, as I read, I am absentmindedly translating the book's contents into another language? If I am committing either of these deplorable errors or indeed any other then do tell me, young Tails!"

"You're s'posed to use the _story-voice_!" Tails said loudly as though to a dimwit, "Like Aunt Sally's, not like, well…_yours_."

Several cutting replies sprang to Snively's tongue in the wake of these remarks – rather than deliver one of them, however, he raised an affronted eyebrow. "And how, pray tell, would you say my voice sounds?" he inquired softly.

"You…really wanna know?" Tails said as he eyed him with great wariness.

"Oh yes!" Snively persisted, "And in your own words entirely! Grant me the benefit of your wisdom!"

Tails took a moment in which to think long and hard about what he was about to say, "_Well_…" he said slowly, his next sentence coming to him word by word. "…I'd really have to say that it sounds like a mouse gettin' stomped by an elephant."

A hint of grey seemed to appear between Snively's eyes, "I see." He replied casually through clenched teeth, "And is there anything else you would care to add to this?"

Tails' next words came more easily as he felt himself beginning to get to grips with them, "I guess I could also say that it sounds like…a hippo sitting on an open piano." he answered, his own voice deeply thoughtful as he put how he felt about the matter into words. "I mean, seriously, what an annoying sound!"

Snively's eyes were glinting unpleasantly at the cub by this point, "_Excellent_." He hissed, "An admirably succinct summary. And now, unless there is any further criticism you wish to relay, perhaps we might drop this topic once and for all and resume this forced death-march down the road to oblivion?"

Tails' blue eyes were wide, his whole face the very picture of youthful innocence wounded. "I only did what you wanted me to." He protested, sounding as though he was stung by the reception of his words and wondering what he'd done to deserve it. "You asked me to tell you…"

"Well _you_ started it!" Snively whined as he lifted the book to his face once again, "Now am I to read as much of this as I am able in the time allotted to us or are we instead to continue needlessly procrastinating?" For the second time that night, Tails looked bewildered – Snively, never one to quibble, seized this opportunity to take up the narrative again. "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet

"Hey…what _is_ a hobbit anyhow?" Tails chirped up.

Snively breathed deeply, feeling quite akin to a condemned soul who had rolled an acutely heavy boulder up the side of a steep hill only to feel it slip from his grasp and roll all the way back down. "A small man." He elaborated, deciding that he was probably best off answering the fox's question as directly and briefly as possible. "NOW…"

Tails' eyes widened with understanding. "Oh! Like _you_!" he exclaimed.

Snively glowered, "_No_." he said slowly and carefully, as though speaking to a stupid child which as far as he was concerned was precisely what he was doing. "_Not_ like me. A hobbit is a short-sized neatness-freak with big hairy feet. Is this picture I paint you springing vividly to life in your childlike imagination?"

Tails was nodding his head, his smile bright and eager. "Yeah. Like _you_." He repeated loudly and clearly, apparently thinking that Snively hadn't heard him correctly the first time.

_Oh GOD! Please save me from this Biblical Curse that hath descended upon me! _Snively was sick of the entire thing – most of all, he felt sick of the vivaciously vibrant fox. "Listen to me you little _br_…" with a cough, he decided to change tack. "_Ahem_…I mean…you _adorable little child! _Is there something _else_ that I could read to you?"

"Oh, I don't know…how about Rumplestiltskin?"

Snively couldn't bite back the snort that he now emitted, "Because _that's_ a good one…" he muttered with a roll of his eyes.

"Yeah!" A sparkle danced in Tails' eyes, "It's about this _little man_…"

"Oh really? Oh does _this_ little man _also_ have hairy feet? How do I prove to you that I'm not a hobbit…by taking off my boots and showing you my feet? Is that what I must do? Is it?" Snively exclaimed, lifting one of his boots into the air and reaching slowly toward it with his hand.

Tails backed over to the far side of his bed, erupting into a giggling fit even as he pulled a face of pure disgust. "Okay, _okay_!" he exclaimed, holding out his gloved paws in a placating gesture. "Truce!"

Snively stared at him for a long moment, having slipped his long finger beneath his boot. "And so the tables turn!" he crowed in triumph, "Then Knothole concedes?"

"No way! Freedom Fighters will never be WORKERbots!"

"Then a truce it is." Snively released his foot, which flopped back onto the floor, and held his hand out to the fox.

Tails accepted, shaking it firmly. "Agreed." He replied, his tone one of gravest solemnity. "Hey…Snively? Can I…can I ask you something?"

Snively felt strangely unnerved by the tentative look which was now on Tails' face, "Yes, with an oncoming feeling of ominous dread?" he invited warily, bracing himself for whatever the hell it could be.

Tails' eyes were earnest as they gazed up at the human – the fox-cub felt that now was the moment for him to ask Snively about the thing that had been bothering him for days now. "Why don't you like us?" he asked simply.

To all appearances, Snively didn't react to this straightforward question – at least his expression did not change nor did either of his eyebrows as much as twitch. What he felt inwardly at this moment, however, was a different story altogether. "Oh, I don't know. I don't suppose that it could _possibly_ be the manner in which big brother hedgehog excels in transforming stupidity into a modern art-form _or_ the way that the courageous Mr. Depardiue has made the habit of annoying everybody around him into his entire way of life _or_…" this he said with his accustomed irony. Now normally the sarcasm flowed as smoothly and naturally as water but, for some reason, tonight the words just seemed to drop from his lips with a leaden clunk.

And, being the perceptive child he was, Tails picked up on it immediately. "That's exactly what I'm talking about!" he exclaimed in a sudden rush of words which swept away Snively's acidic putdowns before his pale mouth could continue forming them. "Why do you do that…say such nasty mean things about us when we treat so well? When we let you live with us and share our food with you and don't…" his voice faltered as his train of thought ran up against a memory…a memory of a day two years ago.

It was a day he had never been able to forget…a day he was sure he never _would_ forget. The day he had disobeyed Aunt Sally by wandering farther from the border of The Great Forest than she had given him permission to go…and, as a result, been captured by a Hover Unit full of SWATbots that had then taken him to Robotropolis. That day had been the most terrifying ordeal of his entire life, so horrifying that he mercifully remembered only two of the things he had seen during it, the rest of which had blurred into a hazy shadow he could no longer recall consciously...yet still returned from time to time to trouble him in his sleep.

One had been the moment that had come like a flash of glorious lightning in a sky engulfed by darkness…the moment Sonic had rocketed into Command Central like a living whirlwind, snatching the fox from the glass jaws of the Roboticizer and taking him _back_. Back to The Great Forest, back to Knothole, back to Aunt Sally who had been so out of her mind with relief to see him alive and well and still flesh and blood that she hadn't even gotten mad about his thoughtless act of disobedience…back _home_.

And the other…he could still vaguely remember it. Robotnik, his face twisted like a mass of melting wax, the pupils of his depthless black eyes burning with contemptuous hate…his huge fist wrapped around the throat of Snively, squeezing tighter and tighter with each breath of seething rage he took. Snively, sweat running down his long nose which had been bent like a banana against his uncle's broad chin, a sycophantic grin spreading across his face even as his pale eyes widened in trapped terror.

This scene Tails had at some point glimpsed, perhaps as he'd been pounding against the glass interior of the Roboticizer, screaming until not an ounce of air had remained in his lungs – he hadn't thought about it at the time but it had left upon his young mind an impression so strong that it remained burnt there to this very day. Snively had suffered such abuse every day of his life…and from his own uncle, no less.

Why had he stayed? That was what Tails now wanted to ask – as Snively raised a caustic eyebrow at him, however, he found that he just couldn't. "I-I mean…when we're so nice to you?" the fox-cub finished lamely.

The utter childishness of the question made Snively grunt – he knew that to try explaining this to the child would be as futile as trying to teach him the mind-boggling intricacies of quantum physics. "Nice? _Nice_?" he sneered, "And what are you using as a basis for comparison, young Tails?"

Tails scrunched up his face as he concentrated on the search for an answer to that question – then it brightened. "I know…_me_!" he exclaimed, "Yeah, The Freedom Fighters treat you just as they treat me! They feed you and…"

Snively's eyes glittered like frost, filling slowly with silent and emotionless laughter as he listened to the fox-cub making his argument. "They tolerate me, Tails." He interrupted, his voice as flat and cold as a sterilised scalpel. "They provide for me, allow me to live among them and even go out of their way to make small-talk with me, it's true. Yet they always _watch_ me, regard me with unvoiced suspicion, even as they smile with patronising welcome…waiting until the day that the whole meaningless charade comes to its conclusion. Now _you_, on the other hand…" as he spoke, he looked directly into the eyes of the fox-cub – as he did so, his own brimmed with the same disdain he'd felt earlier, now curiously mingled with another feeling. One altogether different, one far wearier. _Envy_. A jealousy of this pure and untainted soul he now saw right in front of him, a soul far removed from his own…a soul that he now strove to belittle and besmirch with his measured words of sheer spite. "…they _spoil_ you."

"Nuh-_uh_!" Tails protested, colour rising to his cheeks "Aunt Sally and the others don't spoil me! I always get told off and given extra chores to do or get sent back to my hut whenever I act up! They want me to grow up good and strong…"

Snively continued, his tone just as steady and level as though the interruption hadn't occurred. "They sheltered you by keeping you for as long as they could within this forest where nothing and nobody can hurt you. Even now they continue to shield you from the harsh realities of this world." His eyes bored into those of the transfixed cub like a pair of silent yet intense lasers, "Do you honestly believe that the reason they now permit you to accompany them on their oh-so-thrilling escapades in the city is that they _want_ you to share in the danger they entail? Ha! Don't you realise that they take you along with them so that they can continue to keep you close, because they remember what it was to be your age? They know that the temptation to embark on a little adventure of your own would one day become too great to resist and so their solution to take you with them. To _protect_ you. Tails…you have not raised to be strong. They have raised you to be _innocent_. The justification of their struggles, the thing that will make worthwhile this war which has encompassed most of their lives. That is all you are to them. No more and no less."

As he had listened to Snively's words regarding how The Freedom Fighters viewed him, Tails had felt something like a lump of cold hard clay forming inside his stomach – whatever it was, he had a sinking feeling that the reason it felt so unsettling was that was comprised of the truth. Or bits and pieces of it at least. "That's not true." He said quietly, his face frowning as his eyes going hard as he struggled to reject this interpretation of his ultimate role in the lives of his friends. "They're my family. They love me…"

Snively's eyes retained their coldness yet it seemed to Tails that they now contained an icy gleam of wisdom, the reflection of a bitterly rueful experience of a harder side of life, one that the fox could not understand…and was not sure he wanted to. "In the end, the only one whom you really have to rely upon…is _you_." He said with a finality which for some reason caused Tails to imagine each word as an icicle dropping into dark water. "Knowing this is what has enabled me to survive for as long as I have in this world. And it's one of those grim necessities that I suppose _you_ will never come to know at first hand…though perhaps that is as things should be. Because your life and my own, here in this village or wherever else on Mobius they might one day lead us, are _not_ alike. Now if you _please_…"

The conversation, which had now gone as far beyond the boundaries of reticence as Snively was willing to go, ended – perhaps it had served a purpose after all for as Snively raised the book to eye-level and recommenced the narrative once more there was not another interruption from Tails.

Yet even though he allowed Snively to read from the book Aunt Sally had given him, Tails' mind was not on the words which passed from the book through the human's lips and finally to his own pointed ears. It was focused on the lingering echo of the words of cynicism which Snively had uttered moments ago and with such bitter conviction…

* * *

As his eyes began to water, Robotnik's mind registered two highly salient circumstances – first of all, the round and protuberant eyes which felt like they were sizzling in their sockets were once more his own as opposed to the flat and glassy eyes of a catfish. Secondly, the brilliant luminance that Naugus had casually conjured out of non-existence was now diluted by a new radiance of different colour and yet equal intensity.

The charge of magical energy crackled as it ran through Naugus' right arm in a number of tiny bolts which circled his wrist, converging in the point at which he had chosen to focus the power he was calling upon; the tip of his forefinger which he was presently pointing at the point at which he directed the spell he evoked.

As this occurred, Robotnik heard Naugus' voice cackling croakily;

"_Now shall we see_!

_Now shall we know_!

_Now shall the secret be unlocked_,

_By my sorcery aglow_!"

The egg-like cocoon swam with beads of dark-purple light as though in anticipation of what was about to transpire – the bead of light which swelled at the tip of the sorcerer's finger appeared to undergo a miniature explosion as Naugus' concentrated mind converted it from raw energy to a focused magical spell. A spell designed with a very specific purpose in mind as it jumped from his finger, leaving a trail of purple burned into the air through which it passed – the spell passed into the centre of the cocoon at the precise moment that the two connected, magic and science, as easily as the wind creating ripples upon the surface of a lake.

Far from simply dissipating however the puce-coloured magic began to turn the cocoon the same shade and also, with a sickening odour that slowly but surely saturated the air, dissolve it – a purple vapour poured from the 'egg' as it gradually turned lumpy and sloughed apart like a rapidly disintegrating placenta, its structure breaking down and evaporating into nothingness, atom by atom.

Naugus watched as, with an ear-splitting screech, the metal talons finally relinquished their aeon-long grip…revealing the figure that stood within the cloud of vapour.

Released from the grip of technology by the power of sorcery, the newly liberated individual felt his broad shoulders rise and fall as he breathed the air of this world for the first time for over a Millennium – as the genetic cocktail of nutrients that had allowed him to sleep throughout the passage of the ages until the night of his awakening began to depart from his system, he felt _them_ beginning to reactive themselves. The nano-machines, pieces of technology so advanced as to boggle the mind - they had been placed within his body by means of complex and skilful surgery shortly before his entry into stasis and now began to kick his body back into fully operating order.

As every piece of tissue in his body started to function properly again, he felt beads of perspiration trickling down his body – not only had his sweat-glands reopened but the nerve-endings had restored feeling to him. Nausea hit him like a blow to the stomach as, piece by piece, he returned to life – he just felt thankful that he had skipped breakfast for the last couple of thousand years and so lacked anything to regurgitate.

As the thick mist parted, revealing the figure in full for the first time, Robotnik could not contain the involuntary gasp that escaped him.

The individual whom had been released from the stasis-cocoon stood with such imposing stature that he towered over even the hulking Doctor – the two broad arms hanging by his sides and the two thick legs supporting him positively rippled with a series of powerful muscles which, as they strained against the sweat-covered flesh encasing them, all united to spread across his torso and abdomen. His head of hair was cut to such precision that it resembled a jet-black hood. A snout-like set of nostrils divided his mouth which was currently contorted into a dark grimace and his eyes…which now flicked open.

As conscious awareness reasserted itself inside the mind behind the black pupils of that pair of white orbs, the individual's perception of his new surroundings span like a blurring mosaic at first – gradually, as body and mind both readjusted to the environment into which both been thrust into, the eyes came into proper focus.

After ages spent locked in dreamless and ageless slumber, the first thing that he saw was the broad grin of welcome spread across the face of the bizarre creature which extended its gloved hand to him. "Kindly permit me to introduce myself." It proclaimed in a voice which, though wheezy, boomed magnanimously. "I am Ixis Naugus and it is I who shall be your guide to The Planet Mobius in the Year 3235. And you would be…?"

The respite that followed this question lingered like an eternity spent waiting in dead silence – then the tongue of the awakened sleeper pressed against the roof of his mouth, his mouth began moving and for the first time in thousands of years his voice was heard.

"The Hunter Executioner…Zero."

Naugus beamed expansively as his eyes gazed upon the figure who stood before him…gazed upon him and saw the possibilities. "And a pleasure it is for us to receive you!" he declared, "Let's be friends!"

Robotnik stared silently at the utterly unexpected discovery of the dig, his dark eyes empty of all thought and emotion…though his mind remained, as ever, both full of and active with cognition. Not least as he contemplated what the new arrival had introduced himself as. As he took in the magnificent sight of this fellow human-being, The Doctor also pondered the possibilities offered by this night's turn of events…possibilities entirely removed from the agenda of the sorcerer.

_This may just be…precisely the opportunity I have been waiting for._

_Excellent…_

**End of Chapter**


	5. Illusion of A Broken Sky

_Author Notes - Whew...proof-reading this well and truly left me feeling knackered! Still, all done...and I can't wait to find out what you all think! Anyhow...enjoy!!_

**Chapter Four**

**The Illusion of a Broken Sky; Deliverance or Despair**

Morning had broken. The long fingers of dawning radiance had descended peacefully upon Knothole Village – as they reached in through the open windows of the thatched wooden huts which stood clustered together, they gently touched the faces of the sleeping Mobians, stirring them back to wakefulness one after another.

A short while after her own turn had come, Bunnie Rabbot stood in the doorway of her hut. There was a coarse purple towel draped over her metal arm and a quizzical look on her face as she looked around at the gradually awakening village._ Gosh darn it… _she mused silently, running a finger across her towel. _Ah'll be missin' Mah chance if Ah don't make Mah mind up lickety-split!_

Normally Sally would be up and about and, her regal status regardless, as tirelessly active as a worker-ant by this time – as far as The Princess was concerned, an hour of daylight not spent occupying herself in furthering The Freedom Fighter Cause or else improving the lives of the villagers was an hour of the day wasted. This fine morning however Sally-Girl was nowhere to be seen – perhaps she was pouring over her holographic map of Robotropolis one last time before departure, her keen and alert eyes in search of any kind of flaw or oversight that might turn their plan from smooth sailing to ruinous disaster. Either that or she had stayed up late last night doing so and was now catching a few precious hours of sleep before she and her comrades took the plunge…

Whichever was the case, Bunnie didn't like to disturb the Princess with her petty little problem – so what was a rabbit to do? It was just as she verged upon resigning herself to being forced to use the metal tub she kept in the back of her hut that Bunnie saw her chance finally appear…

Tails' head was bowed low, his eyes gazing down at his sneakers as though they held endless fascination for him – his shoulders were slumped listlessly and Bunnie had the distinct impression that, had he pockets, his paws would've been stuffed into them. As he walked between the huts with no apparent destination in mind, he didn't notice Bunnie standing there.

But Bunnie noticed _him_, "_Tails_!" in her eagerness, her voice must've sounded louder than usual – Tails certainly jumped before turning and looking at her in surprise. "Well_ hi there_! Guh'mornin', Sugah!"

Tails was frowning as he faced her, "Morning." He grunted noncommittally.

Bunnie's eyes were curious as she appraised him – he was neither looking nor acting at all like himself that morning. "Couldn't stay in bed, hmm?" she teased, "Ya'll feelin' tense about the mission? Ah don't blame ya, sugah – Ah am too!"

Tails looked down at Bunnie's gleaming right arm, what little of it was visible from beneath the towel anyway. "Yeah…I bet you are." He said softly – as his mind was drawn away from whatever it was he'd been dwelling on, his eyes cleared noticeably.

Almost unconsciously, Bunnie touched her robotic arm - her gentle paw quivering faintly as she wondered whether it would still be so hard and lifeless by this time next month. "Yes…that Ah most assuredly am." She responded softly – for a long and reflective moment, her eyes remained deeply wistful. Then she redirected them back to Tails and her pretty face was bright again. "Anyway…let's not be jawin' about that right now! Tails darlin'…Ah was wonderin' if ya'll would be a gentleman and do a lady a lil' favour?"

"Such as…?" Tails prompted, folding his arms and raising an eyebrow.

"Come down to the river with me and keep watch while Ah bathe?" Bunnie asked sweetly.

She could just imagine the response of just about any of the other boys had she made this request of them – Tails, however, merely looked puzzled. "Huh?" his voice was blank, "Why do you want me to do that?"

"Ah need someone to warn me if any o' the boys should wander too close while Ah'm…" Bunnie broke off at this point, coughing tactfully – turning up the charm, she gave the fox a dazzling smile. "Well anyway…Ah believe that ya'll are the perfect candidate for the job, Sugah Tails. What do ya'll say? Ya'll aren't gonna leave me high an' literally dry, are ya?"

Confusion was written all over Tails' face. "But…what's the problem? You see me without clothes on all the time! What's the difference?"

Bunnie laughed – she honestly couldn't help it. "Oh there's a difference, Sugah – a real big difference." She replied airily. "Ah'll explain it when ya'll are older. But now…" elegantly, she held her organic arm out to him. "…are ya'll escortin' me down to the river or ain't ya?"

And despite his extreme confusion, Tails shrugged and took it – arm-in-arm, they walked together between the huts. As they went, the rabbit noticed one of the fox's tails brush slightly against the side of her leg though she didn't feel the accidental and fleeting contact at all. This would have made her feel sad a couple of years back, just after tragedy had befallen her…even sadder than she would feel whenever she turned to find one of the normal villagers staring silently at her. Those gazes had been filled with revulsion and horror, as though she had been twisted and perverted into something so disgusting and utterly wrong that they could not tear their eyes from her – that was until she caught them doing so. Then those untainted Mobians would turn from her, whether to act as though nothing had happened or to blatantly run away from her, in either case leaving her to feel just that little bit more hated and alienated than she already had.

Of course things had changed a great deal since those dark days – whether the catalyst had been her many heroic acts in the name of The Freedom Fighters or simply that they had gradually gotten to know the rabbit within her partially mechanised form, the other villagers had gradually warmed to her again. And whenever she felt the wisps of sadness that had lingered within her, Bunnie would always remind herself of one thing; the wisdom upon which she'd rebuilt her life which her extremely close call with The Roboticizer had so very nearly destroyed. And this wisdom was the knowledge that though her metallic paw could not feel a thing, that she could still feel things within proved she was still a Mobian – that she could not feel Tails' brush-like appendage as it touched her lifeless legs meant nothing when compared to how the fox's affection touched her heart.

"Hey…Bunnie?"

Bunnie looked down at her companion as his tentative voice tugged her back to the present – Tails was gazing up at her, his eyes curious and hesitant at the same time. "Yes, Sugah?" she smiled at him, ready to answer any question he might put to her.

Tails opened his mouth, looked like he was going to close it again, then determinedly _asked _her. "If we pull off this mission today…you'll get to go back to being the way you were before, won't you?"

Bunnie couldn't ignore the eerie little shiver that ran up her spine – it was as though she'd been thinking so deeply about the effects her condition had had upon her life that the fox-cub had been able to sense it. "Why yes, Tails." she replied slowly, "_Eventually_, Ah guess."

Tails stared at her, his brow furrowing. "Eventually?" he repeated, "But…you've been like this for years, Bunnie. And you were so happy that time you got to go back to being…" he paused as his voice snagged upon the word 'normal' – he hurried onward, substituting the tactless phrasing with one less likely to hurt her feelings. "I mean…I thought that you'd wanna go in The Deroboticizer as soon as Sally and the other others repair it!"

Bunnie was silent for a long moment, silent and contemplative as the very matter she'd spent so many hours thinking about was brought up. "Yes, Tails…Ah'm certain that Ah will. Will _want _to, Ah mean t' say. _But_…" she broke off from that sentence as she found herself suddenly at a loss for words on which to build it.

"But _what_?" Tails jumped on her moment of hesitation – he probably thought that it was irresolution. "Why not? Why not just take the chance when it comes along? You've done so much for The Freedom Fighter Cause, Bunnie…the least you deserve is to be _happy_!"

He had stopped walking and now stood staring up at her – forced to stop with him, Bunnie reflected on the words he'd just uttered. And now she _did _feel her resolve tremble. Why _shouldn't _she step into the Deroboticizer when it was finally perfected? True, by finally shedding her robotic arm and legs she would forfeit her mighty strength…but surely the fact that there would still be plenty of Freedom Fighters left to continue the war would justify the sacrifice of this asset which, for herself, came at great personal price? Had she been this way for so long that she was now too used to being a martyr to just let herself be happy…?

Then she looked into Tails' eyes, shining with innocence, and the moment ended – a glance, just a glance, into the fox's eyes was enough to reaffirm the position that she had adopted. _Listen to him…no-one his age should be talking this way. He's a kid and I'm an adult…a __young __one maybe but one anyhow. Ah should be thinking about __his __future, __his __happiness, not him about mine! _"Well…it sure is sweet of ya'll to say that, Sugah." Her voice was unusually grave as she spoke, "And ya'll are right - gettin' t' be normal again for that one day was nice t' be sure. But it also put a whole lot into perspective for me. And Ah for one won't consider Mah efforts to have been enough 'til the day this war is finished and nobody has t' go through what Ah have evah again. An' since Mah strength will go a long way toward makin' that happen, Ah don't think there's any question of me bein' selfish and throwin' it away so easily."

Tails looked unconvinced, "But…" he began to say.

"Tails…ya'll must nevah' experience the pain an' sufferin' Ah have. And Ah think Ah can bear mine for just a little longer if doin' so means that ya'll will never have to." Her emerald eyes shone with a breath-taking clarity, unyielding and yet full of love, as she spoke her heart to Tails – then she smiled brightly, ruffled his fringe with her robotic paw and tugged at his arm. "This way, Darlin'. Enough dilly-dallyin' now!"

Tails allowed himself to be led again by Bunnie, their conversation now stretched to the limit of the possibilities it had held – as they strolled down to the riverbank, the rabbit did not look at the fox again. And so she did not see the distant look now in his eyes nor the tiny frown on his face, either of which would have served as a hint that her words had further troubled rather than reassured him. After all…there was no way she could have realised that she had inadvertently reminded him of a certain conversation that he'd had the night prior.

The two of them walked together in silence until the long and swaying grass that grew beside the riverbank rose into view, – it was at this point that Bunnie gently disengaged her arm from Tails' and looked down at him. "This is far as you go, Darlin'."

Tails had actually bumped into her shoulder when she'd stopped – now he looked at her in surprise. "You…want me to stay here?" he asked slowly.

"Yep. Now ya'll be sure to gimme a whistle if ya see any o' the other boys comin'…'specially if it's _Antoine_." Bunnie giggled as she reached over and pinched his whiskered cheek playfully, "And no peekin' now!"

With that the rabbit sauntered over to the long grass which she used her arms to brush aside like a pair of curtains…to reveal a scene truly magnificent to the eye. The river looked, that morning, like a misplaced piece of the sky; a shard that had cracked away and fallen to the earth. Only the wobbling of the fluffy white clouds, which she gazed down upon as they floated along by her feet, revealed that they were little more than reflections of those up above. Since she had been coming down here to bathe nearly every day over the last couple years however the illusion of a broken sky had lost its power over her long ago – the enchanting beauty that it contained, on the other hand, had not.

A cautious glance around easing her mind with the knowledge that the coast (or more accurately the riverbank) was clear, Bunnie smiled in anticipation – her body simply crying out for the cool water so tantalisingly close at hand, she slowly undid the black karate-belt tied about her slender waist. A minute later and her purple leotard lay in the grass as she slowly lowered a foot into the river – as the crystalline water closed first around her toes and then her ankle, Bunnie continued to step slowly and carefully into it.

Always had it been a mystery to the rabbit how she was able to do this at all, get the parts of her body which were robotic wet to any extent without suffering any adverse consequences – the best theory that Sally and Rotor had been able to devise was that the bodies of those subjected to Roboticization were somehow insulated in a way that anything wholly flesh or wholly mechanical could never possibly be.

Whatever the case was, the rabbit walked further and deeper into the shimmering water, her body descending lower beneath the surface with each step…until she felt _it_. The moment in which the rippling water arrived at the end (or perhaps the beginning) of her metallic legs…and met with fur and flesh for the first time that morning. An ecstatic tingle rose slowly through her body as the water closed around the swell of her bottom – her lips parted, a sigh as soft and smooth as velvet passing between them as it was granted right of way by the electrifying sensation. As if responding graciously to her childlike delight, the water rose around her wide hips and flat belly, setting every sense that it reached alive and tingling.

The lids of Bunnies eyes were lowered in serenity, her lips forming a perfect o as the water reached the curving crest of her bosom – for a long while she stood completely still, her partially immersed body infused with the thrilling sensation.

Gradually the practically divine sense of serenity faded, her body adjusting as it always did – as her lips relaxed once more, Bunnie felt them slowly twitch into a smile._ Hoo-kay now…let's get to work here. _The rabbit cupped both of her paws together and dipped them slowly into the river – just as carefully, she raised the two pawfuls of water into the air as though seeking to return it to the sky from whence it had come.

This fanciful image was shattered as she tilted her cupped paws back, liberating the water she had collected in a miniature rain-shower which cascaded into her hair, plastering it against her head – again she felt the excited tingle race through her. And as the water ran down her face, streaking around her shoulders and femininity in rivulets…she suddenly felt something else entirely.

It was a sensation altogether removed from her thrilling contact with the water…a tingle that was manifested in the back of her neck. _Hmmmmm. Unless Ah'm very much mistaken, Mah finely honed instincts are warnin' me that someone is… _Her fur sleek and shiny as it clung to her, Bunnie turned around, ripples swirling in the face of the river as she pivoted.

When her eyes fell upon the riverbank it was to see nobody at all standing there. A patch of the long grass was however swaying erratically from side to side…even though the wind was practically nonexistent that morning. It was like something had moved quite suddenly from within as she had turned to look at it…

Bunnie's eyes widened as they reflected the light of dawning truth – as she understood, her gaping mouth closed, settling into a resigned smirk. _Aw shucks…Ah sure as heck jinxed mahself, by tarnation! _The rabbit thought as she gazed at the grass swaying in the near-distance…the grass in which _he_ had hidden seconds ago.

As she turned away from the riverbank for a second time and began to run a metal paw across her softer arm, a wry smile adorned her gleaming face.

About ten minutes later Bunnie was stepping back through the living curtain of grass – she was clothed again, her sleek fur was already beginning to dry beneath the sun and she was feeling just as fantastic as she always did after a morning dip. As well as amused by the prospect of the conversation she was to engage in very shortly.

As the grass closed behind her again, Bunnie saw Tails standing a short way ahead – he had his back firmly to her and was standing very, very still indeed as she quietly walked up behind him. At least that was the way it appeared from a short distance – as she approached the fox-cub, the rabbit noticed how his shoulders trembled in faint recurring waves.

Bunnie felt just a little guilty about what she was about to do – however she also felt that Tails deserved it considering what _he_ had done. So she did it.

Tails gave a yelp and leapt almost clean out of his sneakers – in one second he'd been rooted to the ground, his face flaming-red rather than its usual orange and white as he'd struggled to regain control of his breathing-apparatus. In the next a paw had clamped down on his shoulder!

He span around, drops of guilty sweat flying from his face…to see Bunnie standing there, smiling down at him. Her fur, his heart started to pound all over again as he perceived it, still gleamed brightly – there was also a glimmer of mischief in her eyes as she regarded him.

"Been keepin' watch just like Ah asked ya'll to?" she asked casually, deciding to play with him a little first.

He moved his head so clumsily that it was more a jerk than a nod, his wide eyes making it clear that he was within a hairs breadth away from either running away from her or fainting clean away on the spot. His shoulders were motionlessly tense beneath her paw…

"Good. Ah'm just sure ya'll _didn't_ _budge an inch from this spot_, hmmm?" Bunnie cooed. Even though she felt guilt mounting as she saw the nervousness wracking his eyes, she still couldn't resist the temptation to continue her fun. "So…ya'll kept your eyes peeled, huh Sugah? Did anyone come by?" Tails shook his head so quickly that his whiskers whipped his still crimson cheeks. "Oh…so you're tellin' me that ya'll _didn't see a thing just now_?" there was a smirk on her face as she finally decided to put him out of his misery, "Ya'll peeked didn' cha?"

Tails gulped as he realised that she knew…_she knew_! "I-I…" he panted, pausing only to take a great gulp of air followed by three more – his face was burning so hotly that he was amazed he didn't spontaneously combust. "I'm-I'm sorry, Bunnie! I don't know why I did it, I swear I…"

There was amusement rather than fury in Bunnie's eyes as she watched him struggle, "Ah do." She said simply, "Ya'll did it because Ah told ya'll _not_ to." She closed her eyes and giggled behind her paw – when she opened them again, they danced with sparkling light. "Ah shoulda known you would after Ah said that. So…it's happened at last." Planting her paws on her hips, she leaned toward the fox. "Ya'll have finally discovered girls!"

The redness of Tails' blushing cheeks deepened as he thought about how, overcome with curiosity, he'd crept toward the riverbank…and what he had seen as he'd peered though the grass. "But-but…aren't you gonna get mad at me?" he asked, hardly able to believe that his sin could possibly go unpunished.

"Well…that really depends, Sugah." Bunnie remarked, compressing her lips into a straight line as she gazed interrogatively at him.

"Er…on what?" Tails stammered, worry rekindled by the stern look now on her face.

"On just how much ya'll saw!" Bunnie smirked as she decided that she really didn't want to know – reaching out to him, she ruffled Tails' fringe reassuringly. "Naw, Darlin'…Ah ain't mad. If Ah was t' get steamed at'cha for growin' up then Ah may just as well get mad because ya'll will be as tall as me one day! Yes you will, Sugah!" she just had to laugh at the look of disbelief that crossed his face at that comment, "But ya'll are gonna have t' promise me that'cha won't go doin' that again, Tails. Ah know ya'll are at an age where boys start to like lookin' at girls but all the same ya'll also need to respect our privacy. Besides…Ah wouldn't want you gettin' in trouble." She was looking him directly in the eyes, her face now serious. "Ya'll gonna promise me, Tails?"

Tails readily nodded in agreement – he felt so relieved that she wasn't angry with him that, had she asked it of him, he would have promised to sleep over at _Antoine's_. For an entire _month_. "Yes, Aunt Bunnie." He answered meekly.

"Well that's good enough for me. Ya'll are a sweet boy an' Ah know that Ah can trust ya." Bunnie gave him a smile of satisfaction, "Now Ah'm thinkin'…should Ah ask Sonic t' talk t' ya'll about this?"

Tails' eyes shot wide open, "On _no_!" he gasped in shocked horror, "Don't, _please_! If Sally finds out, she'll _kill_ me!"

"Aw, Sugah…Sally-Girl will understand, ya'll will see!" Bunnie exclaimed – for a moment she tried to think of what else she could say to bring him around to the idea. Then she shook her head thoughtfully. The rabbit had never been in this situation before but she realised that there were some cases in which a woman couldn't be expected to do a man's job. She sighed. "Well…let's talk about that later. For now…well we won't be settin' off for the city 'til later an' Ah don't really have anythin' t' do in the meantime. So Ah was wonderin' if ya'll are feelin' up to a trainin'-session with me?" Tails nodded his head, still eager to please her as well as immensely relieved that she had allowed the subject to be changed. "Swell! Come on, Sugah-Tails!"

With that the rabbit headed back to her hut with the two-tailed fox in tow, following at her clinking heels – and as she noticed that he was taking particular care to ensure that his gaze remained firmly away from her body, she couldn't resist one last bit of fun.

"Well, well…guess Ah'm gonna have t' keep Mah eyes open for a cute lil' fox-girl for ya'll!"

"_Aunt Bunnie_!!"

Little did Bunnie realise that, by mid-day, Tails' growing-pains would be at the bottom of her list of worries…

* * *

_I'm waaaitiiing!_

It was mid-day.

Despite the fact that time had no meaning whatsoever in a place like this, Sonic felt an impatience so acute that it was actually visible in the form of the dark scowl on his face – the hedgehog's spikes were flattened against his back as he pressed it against the wall, his tense paw aching as he held onto the walky-talky, the soles of his feet itching chronically. All of this as he stood perfectly still at the corner that led onto the next street, waiting for the all-clear.

_Man oh man…this is all messed up! Those __long wide empty streets __out there…I can almost __hear them crying out for my feet__! Inviting me to __leave a smokin'-hot trail blazin' across them!_

For a moment, unable to bear the snail-pace at which he'd so far been forced to move, Sonic came close to yielding to that tantalising temptation…_dangerously_ close. With a deep breath however he took a mental step back from the alluring edge of that precipice – as he reasserted his self-control, the hedgehog reminded himself of why he and the others were here. As he did so he acknowledged that to throw caution to the (polluted) winds would not only be reckless but also potentially disastrous…not, of course, that he himself would have put it that way. Sonic would have said that he might mess everything up if he decided to wing it. _Sure, it doesn't __look __like there are any stray SWATbutts hangin' around…but that doesn't mean there __aren't__ any. _Reasoned the hedgehog as he denied his feet what they were craving so desperately.

One thing that must must never be done in Robotropolis was to take a single thing for granted – many such misguided people, be they Freedom Fighters or regular Mobians who had accidentally wandered into the city of nightmares, had found him or herself being thrown into The Roboticizer as a direct result of that deadly mistake.

Not that Sonic was at all worried on his own account – heck, he'd left those chrome-domed jokers analysing his dust many times before and knew he'd do it again if he needed to. Only one thing held him back, one thing convinced him to stick to the meticulously arranged and unanimously agreed upon strategy; the knowledge that the entire plan would be blown if whatever enemies still roamed these streets were to become aware of The Freedom Fighters' presence.

Just the thought of the sheer number if people depending on the success of this mission made Sonic reign in his ego…well for the moment at least. _Uncle Chuck, Bunnie, everyone who's lost family and friends 'cuzza Robotnik over the years…this is for __them__! For their sake, I can't fail now! _At that moment, as though to reward the blue hedgehog's newfound sense of responsibility, the walky-talky crackled in his paw.

Realising that he was receiving an incoming transmission, Sonic whipped it to his pricked-up ear. "Ten-Four, T2!" he exclaimed eagerly as he deftly pressed the button on the side of the black device. "Am I burnin' your ears or what? Over!"

The response came a second later, _"I hear you, Sonic." _The faint crackle of static aside, the voice was clearly that of Tails – for some reason however he didn't sound as into this as the hedgehog would've expected. _"I just called to give you an update on the situation."_

"Well what'cha waitin' for, Big Guy? Shoot from the hip, that's always been your style!"

"_There are no SWATbots between you guys and The Dumping-Zone." _Tails stated, his voice noticeably flat and unexcited – for some reason or other, Sonic was reminded by it of somebody else though just whom precisely he couldn't quite put his finger upon. _"Plus I watched The Dumping-Zone for ten minutes and saw no sign of anything moving. It looks like they really are all at the dig. Anyway, I'd say you're good to go."_

Sonic gave the thumbs-up even though he knew that Tails wouldn't be able to see it – it had been a truly inspired decision to have the fox serve as their look-out for this mission. Like Dulcy, he could fly. _Unlike _the dragon, however, Tails was small enough to escape notice within the city due to the fact that security had lessened a great degree under the regime of its new Overlord. "Way to go, Bro!" he exclaimed, "When you're cool, you're _cool_! And _boy_, are _you_…oh."

Tails had cut the transmission – for a minute or two, Sonic stared at the dead walky-talky with a blank look on his face. Then he shrugged and returned it to his backpack with a deft flick of the wrist. _Time ta' do it to it! _He thought, looking over his shoulder. "Yo! You guys comin' or what?" he breathed in an intense whisper.

The brief pause which followed was broken by the sound of turning wheels – they were attached to the sides of the wooden cart which rolled out from the depths of the long shadow cast by the wall. It was pushed along by two of The Freedom Fighters – namely Rotor and Antoine. The latter of the pair was emitting a noise which sounded a great deal like an old-fashioned steam-engine in motion as he put his back into the task – the coyote's face was dripping with the a sweat that had already drenched his blue uniform.

"C'mon, Ant!" Sonic encouraged his comrade in the way he knew best, "Beat that egg in your boot before it ends up all over your face!"

"Ridiculicious!" Antoine panted as he and his blubbery comrade brought the cart to a halt – learning against it, he breathed a heavy sigh and ran the back of his sleeve across his forehead. "I am having you know that I am cleaning my boots every night and am never finding any hecks in them!"

_Oh __brother... _Sonic thought as he put his paws on his hips and hefted a long-suffering sigh.

Letting go of the cart, Rotor cracked his knuckles – though his joints clearly ached just as badly as the coyote's did, the walrus bore it a lot better. "Did I hear right, Sonic?" he asked in his slow voice, "Tails said we're good to go?"

Sonic nodded – as he did so he felt that urge resurge within him, this time totally impossible to resist. The urge to run faster than lightning. Hunching his shoulders, the hedgehog hopped first from one foot and then from the other as he warmed up – after all, Tails had assured him that there was nothing to worry about, right? "Sure did." He answered, suddenly a hedgehog of very few words. "I'll be on point. Follow me, guys!"

Rotor's cheeks puffed out as he grinned at the hedgehog, "You're gonna juice." It was a statement of fact, not a question.

"Nah…" Sonic's mouth wasn't the only thing that was active now – his feet were moving, so fast that they looked like burning rubber-bands as they built up speed. "…I _am _juicin', Rote! _Up_…_over_ and…_outta here_!"

And with a sonic-boom accompanied by a shockwave that would've sent the cart hurtling back the way from which it had come had Antoine and Rotor not been able to grab it at the last second…he _was_. As Sonic streaked around the corner, he was running so fast that the boarded-up doorways and windows on both sides of the street appeared to merge into a dull-grey blur. _Man…no SWATbots ta' dodge! It just don't feel __right!_ The hedgehog's destination rose into sight in no time at all, growing larger and more detailed to his eyes like a staggeringly complicated balloon being blown up by some street-entertainer - digging his heels into the cracked road, Sonic screeched to a halt in front of it.

The Dumping-Zone had been the perfect basis for a rather crude (and in his own opinion really funny) joke on the hedgehog's part back when he and The Freedom Fighters had first been told about it – that joke had also been the basis for Sally to fold her arms and make a scathing comment about growing up as she'd glared at him. Tails had sniggered and, though this had also earned _him_ a look so stern that it could have frozen coffee, Sonic had been deeply heartened – at least someone had been sophisticated enough to appreciate his refined humour.

Now that he was actually here, Sonic realised that there was nothing at all funny about this place – the hedgehog was standing in the main square at the centre of the city, his eyes growing round with awe as he gazed at it from the cloud of dust he'd just kicked up. During King Acorn's reign, this area had been constantly full of people, young and old. Children running around and playing together, teenage boys trying to act cool in order to impress the teenage girls, most of whom strolling around in cliques and giggled at the boys. Elderly men seated on the many benches as they'd smoked their pipes whilst talking about the latest news regarding The Great War. Courting couples sitting at the edge of the fountain which had constantly gushed with sparkling water.

This place had once been the symbolic heart of Mobotropolis, a shining testament to the thriving unity of the multitude of species which had come together in order to form that glorious civilization.

When Robotnik had risen to power, it had become a vast area of concrete devoid of anything but the howling wind and ghosts of a lost kingdom – and now, under the third regime of the last decade, it had changed once again.

Though it remained lifeless save for the odd rat or cockroach, this part of town could no longer have been called empty by any stretch of imagination – almost every yard was now home to a chunk of the debris which had been tossed here over the last two months. In towering piles and dangerously unstable-looking stacks it stood - into the ground it had been flattened by the feet of the SWATbots who had brought it here, to such an extent that it had come to form a carpet of junk.

And it wasn't just worthless scrap, Sonic realised as he stepped forward and cast a look around – mixed in with the array (which could have passed for the greatest work of Surrealist Art in the world) were Hover Units that had flown their last, dismembered pieces of SWATbot, dull and lifeless Surveillance Orbs as well as many of the machines that had once worked the assembly-lines of the now abandoned factories. There were computer-terminals and smashed monitor-screens, masses of unidentifiable circuit-boards – Sonic didn't want to look too close for fear that he might see the face of a WORKERbot, crumpled and twisted beyond the point of usefulness to its new master, staring chillingly back at him.

As he cast his gaze elsewhere it fell upon something he had not expected to see. Something from his past; the gold-plated body of a large and yet at the same time elegant robot which bore a distinct resemblance to a cheetah. The two pairs of long legs, now sticking up into the air as if in death, looked as though they had once been strong and powerful…in fact Sonic _knew_ they had been. It was none other than the machine he'd found himself pitted against that time Robotnik had challenged him to a race through the city…The Speed Bot.

Sonic walked over to stare down at it – it was strange. True, this robot had been created by Robotnik for the purpose of defeating him - true, it had even cheated during their race. But it had also been the one opponent he'd ever encountered whose speed had truly rivalled his own – as a matter of fact, Sonic had always secretly hoped that one day the two of them might have a rematch. Seeing it lying here as an inert and lifeless shell, no longer a speedster but an unwanted and abandoned toy…that just made the hedgehog feel sad.

With a sigh of regret, Sonic turned away from his fallen foe – he had work to do. _But how the heck am I ever gonna find anything in there…?! _The answer came to him a second after the thought. _By __lookin' __is how. An' there ain't no time like now ta' get goin'!_

A second later Sonic was a brilliant blue streak rocketing into the graveyard of machinery and over a heap of SWATbot heads, which toppled seconds later in his wake – when the object of his search didn't spring to view, the hedgehog blazed a trail through a complicated series of stacks comprised of crushed TEKbots. This brought him no closer to locating his goal, resulting instead in giving him the beginning of one major headache as he tried to find his way out again. _Geez…it's like a maze in here! Well, it sorta slipped my mind to bring along a trail of breadcrumbs __so_

Deciding to take the most direct route out of here, Sonic cranked his speed up a mach and ran right up the side of one of the stacks – and it was as he soared through the air that he saw _it_. His eyes went completely blank along with his mind – because of this he almost failed to notice as gravity began to reassert its power over him. Just in time to prevent himself from crashing face-first into the final stack, Sonic thrust out his paws, breaking his fall as well as performing a somersault – already flattened oil-cans crunched beneath the soles of his sneakers as he landed on the far side of the scrap-stacks.

Paying no mind to his extremely close call, all in a day's work for a hero like himself after all, Sonic rose back to his full height – after he regained his breath, he looked up. The area he now found himself standing in was wide and yet enclosed by the piles and stacks of junk on all sides, increasing the sense of him having just conquered a maze…and there before him, as clear as day, was the prize that awaited him.

Sonic stood as still as a rock, unable to believe his staring eyes…unable to accept that this hour he'd had his fingers crossed for, for which he'd hoped and prayed for so many years, had finally come. It felt so unreal that the hedgehog had to pinch himself – the sharp pain shooting up the arm he'd chosen to perform this little test on confirmed to him that he had not actually bashed his head just then and that this was not merely a hallucination. It was actually happening…what he saw in front of him now was _real_.

_Wow__...an' __ow!_

So distant and faint that it was only just caught by his pointy hedgehog ears it came…the sound of well-oiled wheels turning. Followed by the voice that called to him; "Sonic? Sonic!"

Sonic recognized it at once, "I'm here, Rote!" he called, his transfixed gaze not leaving _it _for a second.

"This place…_wow_." Rotor's voice sounded awe-filled as he evidently looked around at The Dumping-Zone, blown away by what was all around him – Sonic could just picture the walrus' fervent eyes as he thought of what he could do back in Knothole with some of this stuff.

"I know." Sonic answered simple, "Hey…ain't Ant with ya?" the hedgehog was struck by the coyote's uncharacteristic silence.

A chuckle floated over the mounds of refuse, "Yeah Sonic. Thing is, when you set off…you kind of caused the cart to run over his foot."

Despite the heavy solemnity of this moment, Sonic found himself grinning. "Well…can't say this mission hasn't kept him on his toes!" he quipped.

And so, by following the hedgehog's voice, the coyote and the walrus made their way into the heart of The Dumping-Zone – the turning of the wheels was accompanied by the sound of their bickering voices;

"His voice was coming from over there…"

"No, _no_! It is coming from over _there_…"

"No _there_, you don't know what you're talking about…"

"No, it is _you_ who is not knowing…"

"No, _you_ don't…"

Soon enough however Antoine and Rotor's disgruntled faces appeared in view – and as the walrus opened his mouth to greet Sonic, jaw fell. "Oh…_wow_." He whispered as softly as the first breath of a newborn creature – his eyes were filled with the desperate light of one who barely dared to dream that what he now looked upon could possibly be real. The light of hope.

Sonic nodded in complete understanding of the emotions that ravaged the walrus' heart, "I know." He repeated, feeling déjà vu setting in.

"For…" Rotor's voice was trembling as he gazed at it; the beginning of the end to the misery that had engulfed the lives of Mobians all over the planet for the last decade. "…for _real_?"

And again Sonic just understood, "For real, man." He said, his voice deep with the emotion he felt welling up in his own heart. "For real."

There before the three of them lay a thing of unspeakable evil, a nightmarish aberration the name of which had once struck terror into the hearts of all whom had heard it. A vile abomination, the mere touch of which had meant a hideous fate for a countless number of wretched souls; an accursed existence compared to which death would have been a sweet and merciful release.

A relic from the reign of Doctor Robotnik...The Roboticizer

Sonic could barely believe this even though he was looking at it with his own two eyes – the machine that had been responsible for the roboticization of so many innocent Mobians was right in front of him, just lying there like a broken salad-mixer. Its glass tubes splintered, grime and dust coating its side...but still definitely _there_. It was too good to be true, far too perfect to possibly be real.

Eleven days ago, The Freedom Fighter had received an urgent message from Uncle Chuck – its contents had been long in length, extensively detailed and had rocked their world. And what had made the words written on the tightly folded sheet of paper so miraculous was that the turn of events they'd heralded had come as a flash of lightning in a clear sky.

Unlike Robotnik whose complex schemes had been constantly relayed via his computer-systems and satellite-network, both of which could be hacked into with a certain degree of skill and determination, Naugus largely disdained the use of science and technology – in other words the sorcerer's agenda remained locked within his inscrutable mind, an enigma that The Freedom Fighters could not begin to fathom much less devise a plan to foil. The massive dig currently underway within the city was a perfect example of this. When Naugus had first claimed mastery over Robotropolis, The Freedom Fighters had expected him to immediately go on the offensive; use his magic to flush them out of hiding, whether by engulfing The Great Forest in flames or by freezing the river that ran through it in order to deprive them of their water-supply. Naturally the commencement of the drilling-operation had been a great surprise to them all, a riddle which stymied even Sally's brilliant mind.

And so, while Naugus maintained his ominous silence, the true purpose of the rapidly expanding and deepening crater would remain a mystery…until the hour of fateful revelation.

Most frustrated of all The Freedom Fighters had been Uncle Chuck whose role as hedgehog on the inside had been reduced to almost complete uselessness – because Naugus chose to give his commands to Robotnik by word of mouth within the secluded confines of his inner sanctum, the wealth of invaluable information with which the spy had once been able to supply the rebels had dried up overnight. Sonic had seized the opportunity to try to convince his Uncle that there was no longer any reason for him to remain in Robotropolis, that he could help The Freedom Fighters so much more in Knothole. The hedgehog still remembered the fire that had blazed fiercely in his Uncle's eyes as the roboticized hedgehog refused outright to abandon his increasingly insecure position, insisting over and over again that it would yet yield fruit.

And one morning when he'd been sitting and wearily watching the feed from his remaining spy-cameras throughout Robotropolis…it _had_. Uncle Chuck had checked and then double-checked in order to make absolutely certain he was correct. Then, when not a shred of reasonable doubt remained in his mind, he'd sent the message to Knothole; the great dismantlement of Robotropolis had now reached the fortress itself! The nerve-centre of the city was being emptied of every hint of technology it contained at a rate of one floor per day, its contents being sent to that place machinery was being consigned in order to await destruction…The Dumping-Zone.

And when she'd gone through Nicole's holographic blueprints of the fortress, Sally had gasped at the implications of this new turn of events – in just eleven days it would be twelfth and highest floor's turn to be de-mechanised. The floor on which, gathering dust and cobwebs, The Roboticizer had been located!

In that moment, Sally had realised what this meant for all of Mobius…and what she and her comrades must do in the light of it. All of The Freedom Fighters' years of trying to scavenge parts and cobble together complex codes in an attempt to build a machine to reverse the process of roboticization, all the tears of frustration that they'd shed along the way had ultimately been in vain…without the original machine kept by Robotnik, it was as clear as the harsh light of day that a perfect Deroboticizer could never be created. And with that all-important machine now eleven days away from being destroyed forever, Sally knew what must be done – her will had been like tempered steel as she'd realised it.

From the moment that they'd been briefed about the situation, The Freedom Fighters had all agreed upon their course of action – come the eleventh day, they would brave the dangers of the domain now under the rule of Ixis Naugus in one final effort to bring either deliverance or despair to the most tragic victims of this war.

And here it was right in front of them…an unholy grail awaiting them upon a rusted platter.

Looking across his shoulder as he heard a soft crunch, Sonic saw that Antoine was now standing beside him – the coyote's eyes were oddly empty, even the pain in his throbbing toes banished from mind, as stared silently at what lay ahead. And all of a sudden Sonic wasn't even tempted to snicker about the layer of dust which coated Antoine's face, having been sprayed there by the back-wheels of the cart – he knew exactly what was going on behind those eyes as his comrade stared at _it_.

Antoine was thinking of another coyote whom he had not seen in ten years, a great coyote for whom he'd felt so much love and respect. That coyote had been the Captain of King Acorn's Royal Knights. That coyote had been his father. Even after all these years Antoine still had no idea whether Captain Depardiue had perished in a valiant last stand, having selflessly laid down his own life in order to defend innocent people from an overwhelming number of SWATbots…or been overpowered and dragged off to The Roboticizer. It occurred to Sonic in a moment of clarity that the possibility of finally discovering the truth must be terrifying as well as elating for Antoine…

And Rotor. Not once since the day of Robotnik's takeover had Rotor so much as mentioned his family – in fact Sonic had a feeling that the walrus had, deep down in his heart, resigned himself long ago to the strong probability that he would never see his kin again. After all…even if they had been among the Roboticized, their exhausted and broken bodies had in all likelihood wound up in the trash-compactor years ago. And yet whenever this horrible image forced its way into his unhappy mind, Rotor would hold at bay the despair that threatened to overwhelm him by throwing himself into whatever work had required his attention – whether the task had been to replace one of Nicole's malfunctioning microchips or to ensure that Bunnie's robotic appendages remained in perfect working order, the walrus had put into it every ounce of energy that he would otherwise have spent brooding about something over which he had no control. And so he had always ensured that The Freedom Fighters would be ready to take on whatever they might be pitted against, done everything in his power to see to it that Robotnik's evil would one day be destroyed. Still…the possibility of knowing once and for all whether or not he'd been an orphan for the last ten years was irresistible.

Sonic realised that that Antoine and Rotor were staring at him, both with expectant looks on their faces – as he slowly accepted that this was actually happening, the hedgehog felt himself breaking into a great big grin. What made it so great and big was that he was thinking about how he would finally be able to bring his uncle home, how he would soon be able to free him from the twilight world of roboticization. How the two of them would be able to be a family again at last.

Suddenly the three of them were grinning together like giddy fools – and the feeling of camaraderie that they shared was practically tangible. It had always been there…even between Sonic and Antoine despite the vast differences between the two of them. What was different now was that they could feel it flowing among them in this strange moment of purity, of unspoken understanding and brotherhood. It was an amazing moment and one that each of them was to remember for as long as he lived.

It should have lasted longer than it did…

"Well…" Rotor sounded breathless as he tried to speak while grinning at the same time, "…we did it, you guys."

"Oui-oui!" Antoine squeaked, clapping his paws together. "As Soneec would be saying, unga bunga!"

_Cow__abunga, Ant…__cow__abunga._ Sonic thought though he didn't have the heart to correct the coyote. "Yeah...we rock!" tearing his gaze from The Roboticizer, he looked back at the waiting cart. "Now all we gotta do is bring as much of it as we can back to Knothole…"

The first sign that the rest of the mission wasn't destined to go so smoothly revealed itself as the soles of the hedgehog's feet began to vibrate uncomfortably – Sonic's first assumption was that the distant dig had caused something to topple. His second assumption was that this event had occurred so far away that it wouldn't possibly effort the trio's mission. Both assumptions were perfectly sound and rational – they were also completely and utterly wrong.

The Freedom Fighters' presence had not gone undetected – someone, or _something_, had been aware of them from the precise second they had arrived in The Dumping-Zone. This awareness had waited only until all three of these organic intruders were together in one spot. Now the moment had come. Now it moved against them

The ground erupted. Sonic and his two comrades all cried out in shock as they leapt back, instinctively flinging their arms out in front of themselves in an effort to shield themselves from the chunks of debris raining down on them…

"What the…?!"

"Sonic…!"

"_Sacra_ _bleu cheeeese…_!"

…and so not one of them saw the now crumpled metal hatch that hurtled skyward, torn from its mechanical hinges by a force so ferocious as to shatter ten feet of solid ice.

Sonic was the first to uncover his face…and so he was the first to see what it was they were facing. The figure that emerged from beneath the ground rose into the air as smoothly and gracefully as a bird taking flight – but in reality its true nature was far from avian. In fact…it's true nature was far from _natural_. The stunned hedgehog practically felt burned by the sheer intensity of the crimson stare directed at him by the SWATbot which had appeared from the hidden bunker, riding upon a Hover Pad.

Sonic could have slapped himself. _When am I ever gonna learn to be careful what I wish for…?_ he thought, preparing to dodge.

It was for a long moment that Lieutenant Omega stood still and silent, 'his' body exuding an aura of raw power – then 'he' spoke, mocking The Freedom Fighters who had fallen so completely for this trap. _**"Looking for something, Hedgehog?" **_the crimson light emitting from 'his' visor intensified menacingly, _**"Or just **__**browsing**_

**End of Chapter**

_Author Notes - Can anybody say 'Cliffhanger'?! And what, you may indeed ask, has become of Tails and the others? Well, originally I wuz gonna have a scene with the rest of The Freedom Fighters at the end...'cept, when it came down to it, I realised that doing so would make this chapter a little too long. Hey, don't worry...we'll catch up with 'em in the very next chapter which I'm already hard at work on!_

_Anyhow...I hope that you enjoyed this! 'Til next time..._

_Keep on Freedom Fightin'!_


	6. The Hour of Robotnik

_Author Notes - Heeere weee gooo! After two weeks of writing (by my last count at least) and several hours of exhaustive proof-reading...the latest chapter for your (hopefully) enjoyment!_

_So...enjoy! (Hopefully...)_

**Chapter Five**

**The Hour of Robotnik; Posthumous Payback**

From his place high above, Tails had watched as Sonic reached his destination in a blinding burst of brilliance. After making sure that he saw Rotor and Antoine join the hedgehog without incident, the fox-cub lowered the binoculars which had enhanced his sight to that of an eagle, stowing them into his backpack.

Time to report back to Sally. Tails paused only to inspect the stone gargoyle perched to his left. The fox-cub couldn't help but notice that, what with those wild eyes and that twisting tongue snaking out of that wide-open mouth, it looked remarkably like Antoine had the time Sonic had tricked him into eating a mega-spicy chilidog. The moment of distraction over with, he twisted his tails together – his chafed posterior crying out in relief as he took off from the crumbling rooftop, Tails began to make his way to the Rendezvous Point.

As he flew, his anterior appendages whirring like a pair of helicopter-blades, Tails frowned discontentedly. True, he had been chosen for this mission…and yet he felt little difference now than when it was his turn in The Lookout Tower back in Knothole. The 'key-role' of which he'd felt so proud last night now left him feeling…fobbed off. Patronised. What with the immense decrease in SWATbot patrols throughout the city, Tails realised, his supposedly pivotal task was in fact superfluous…and almost entirely safe into the bargain. If only he could've been put on _Sonic's_ team, the team getting into the thick of things today…the team actually taking risks!

The more that Tails imagined himself having asked to be allowed to go to The Dumping-Zone however the stronger became his certainty that, had he plucked up the nerve to do so, the grownups would have managed to find some excuse to deny his request. Tails even found himself wondering if Sally had gone to her father at some point before yesterdays meeting, asking if he would make a glowing display of presenting him with a role which sounded impressive but was in reality completely free of danger. Had The Princess and The King exchanged winks over the head of excited cub, amused by his childish naiveté…?

Tails was so deeply immersed in the juice of the sour grapes he'd just mentally squeezed that he almost failed to notice that he was close to his destination; the mouth of a dark and narrow alleyway. Cottoning on just in time, he altered his course so abruptly that he almost bumped his head against the corner of one of the two walls which formed it. Straightening his trajectory, the fox-cub glided smoothly through the shadows- as he went, he noticed that the decade-old paint peeling away from the bricks on both of his sides must have been red once upon a time.

As he neared the end of the alleyway, Tails' ears pricked up at the sound of the voices which floated toward him. Or, more accurately, the voices that _he_ was flying toward;

"Is everythin' topsy-turvy or is it just that big ol' smile on ya'll face, Darlin'?"

"Hmmmm…?"

A chuckle in response, "Ya'll lips are curved so low! _Honestly_, Sally Girl, don't ya'll go frettin' none about that Sugah Hog and the others! Our trusty lil' look-out would've let us know by now if those three had run into anythin'!"

A soft sigh of worry, "I know…I know. But _still_…"

_Cue for my entrance… _Tails thought dryly as he glided out into a place far less claustrophobic. This wide-open space located between four back-to-back buildings had once been used as a basketball court by the now long gone kids of the also now long gone neighbourhood. All that remained of those happily innocent and irretrievable years of childhood today, however, were the two rust-pitted metal hoops affixed to the backs of the eastern and western buildings…

Upon the dirty ground could be seen the life-sized statue of Doctor Robotnik – this stone effigy had once stood upon a pedestal outside the fortress, an oppressive scowl eternally frozen on its disconcertingly lifelike face. Since the good Doctor's downfall however it had, by less than conventional means, been relocated to this location where it lay now in shattered segments.

The largest intact portion of the deposed dictator's likeness was (What else?) his stomach. At present Bunnie lay languidly upon it as though sunbathing, running her soft hand slowly along her metal arm - she tilted her head sideways, a bright smile springing to her face as she saw the source of the whirring sound her long ears had just caught. "Well don't ya'll know it? Here comes our very own Sugah Fox now!" she sighed complacently.

Sally was leaning against the back of the northern building, her arms wrapped around her shoulders and her eyes lowered – when she looked up and saw Tails approaching, however, she lowered her arms and pushed herself away from the weathered bricks.

Tails' descent was flawlessly smooth – even as his feet touched solid ground for the first time in a few hours, he was delivering his report. "Sonic has landed." He stated as The Princess stood in front of him – on hearing this, she nodded in satisfaction. Knowing that was something at least. "Antoine and Rotor too. No sign of any SWATbots or Hover Units. Not as much as a Spy Eye. I'll go back to my post in a sec…"

"Oh honey!" Sally smiled as she closed the distance between them – before Tails knew it, she'd tucked an arm around his shoulders and was leading him further across the court. "You've done enough for now. You just sit down and rest in the meantime…you must be tired!"

"Ya'll have earned it, by tarnation!" Bunnie put in, her voice sweetening the rank air even if only for a heartbeat. "Ya'll are the sharpest eye in Knothole!"

Tails permitted himself a faint frown as he was towed along, "_Yeah_…I sure am _bushed_ after sitting on a rooftop for a few hours." He sarcastically remarked, surprising himself. And here was what so surprised him…the fact that it made him feel better. He still felt sour overall, sure, but saying that had given him a peculiar feeling of inner satisfaction he hadn't felt before…

Sally looked at the fox-cub a little sharply, startled by the unexpected cheek that he'd just uttered. It really hadn't been like him and The Princess didn't care for it at all…

Bunnie had also been struck by Tails' uncharacteristic little episode – rather than imitate Sally's frown of disapproval, however, the rabbit chucked knowingly. The moody scowl that she saw on the fox-cub's face connected itself in her mind with the incident on the riverbank that morning. Hence the chuckle…

As she heard it, Sally's frown deepened, going from affront to puzzlement – The Princess didn't know why but for some reason she had a feeling that Bunnie had some idea as to what was going on with Tails. And as she perceived it, Sally's annoyance became mingled with insecurity. She knew that it was a far from admirable reaction to the situation, that all of The Freedom Fighters had had a paw in the raising of Tails…that he was 'theirs' just as much as he was 'hers'. And yet she couldn't help but remind herself that it had been her who'd watched the cub like a hawk until he'd eaten every last thing on his plate, be it oatmeal or broccoli, at breakfast and dinner and suppertime. Her who had painstakingly ensured that, from the soles of his feet to the spots behind his ears, every inch of his body was subjected to soap and water at bath-time. She who had cleaned and covered his nicks and scrapes, made certain that he was tucked snugly away come bedtime, hugged and comforted him whenever…

Sally blinked and shook her head – she had, she realised, allowed herself to get just a little bit carried away. In fact now that she reviewed it all, she felt more than a little embarrassed by the thoughts that had run through her mind as she'd become convinced that Bunnie understood something about Tails that she didn't…that the rabbit might be privy to a part of the fox-cub's life, a part from which she herself was somehow excluded.

As he grudgingly allowed The Squirrel Princess to lower him into a sitting-position on the ground, Tails was completely oblivious to what passed through the minds of Sally and Bunnie – he was far too wrapped up in his own thoughts which could not by any stretch of imagination have been described as anything other than 'unpleasant'. _So…here I am. With the __girls. __Shielded. __P__rotected__. Just like Snively said…_ Merely the passing thought of Snively brought a fresh sourness to Tails' mouth. The distaste that it bestowed upon him was not due to Snively himself however – the reason he felt it so deeply was that nearly everything that the human had said to him last night seemed to have been entirely proven today, borne out by Bunnie's words that morning and Sally's action just a minute ago. _Even Antoine is on the __real __mission…_He fought hard to suppress the dark scowl that threatened to cross his face as the sheer injustice overwhelmed him. _Even __Antoine__! I mean…what does __that __say about The Freedom Fighters' opinion of me?_

As she gazed at the fox-cub from her place beside him, Sally knew instinctively that there was something wrong with him – after all, she had loved Tails since the very moment she'd first set eyes upon him. Over the years, the bond between them had grown to the point that she'd come to look upon him as her own son – as for Tails himself, he'd _always_ called her 'Aunt Sally'. Today however things had changed beyond imagining. Whatever Tails was thinking today was hidden from her, shielded by those hard and unreadable eyes of his – it was as though the cub had become somebody whom The Princess wasn't certain she knew at all, somebody whose mind she could no more see into than any of the four shadowy alleyways that led away from the court. Allowing her eyes to leave the young fox's face, she breathed a soft sigh – she couldn't afford to be distracted at the moment._ I…just hope that Ari is all right. _She thought, looking down at her boots.

At first, Sally mistook the repetitive thudding sounds which began drifting toward the court for explosive charges being detonated over at the dig-site – gradually however it dawned on her that the echo of explosives did not rise in volume with each passing second. Her head snapped upward…and, as the sudden suspicion was confirmed, she felt her heart sink down into the boots she'd just been staring at.

From the darkness of the north-western alleyway stalked a figure; tall, oppressive and armed with a laser-rife. The SWATbot didn't appear even to acknowledge The Freedom Fighters as it marched onto the court…but it wasn't alone. The SWATbot following at its metallic heels was was also armed and also declined to acknowledge The Freedom Fighters…as did the SWATbot that followed _it_. And the SWATbot that came fourth…

Sally sat paralysed as she stared at the mounting number of SWATbots, her shocked mind beginning to fly in every direction at once – pulling it together again in a heartbeat, she shot a look toward the north-eastern alleyway. An identical spectacle met her eyes as a number of SWATbots file strode onto the court in single file, armed to their nonexistent teeth. Just as it did as she stared at the south-eastern alleyway _and_ when she…

Bunnie slid down from the stone gut as though in a dream, "Will ya'll look how many of them there are?" she breathed, shocked disbelief written across her face, as she sidled over to her comrades.

"Honey…" As Sally found her voice, her paws found their way to Tails' shoulders – rising slowly to her feet, she drew the cub up along with her. "…do exactly as I say. We will get out of this…I promise you."

Her diamond-like eyes were not diverted from the small army of SWATbots for a second - and so she naturally failed to perceive that not a flicker of fear was to be seen in Tails' narrowed eyes as he too stared at the approaching threat.

The cornered trio stood together as the SWATbots created a tight barrier with their own bodies, a semi-circle pinning The Freedom Fighters against the northern wall – at the exact instant this was done, the robotic sentries spun on their heels and finally faced the small group of Mobians whom they had caught napping. One after another they raised their rifles, each taking aim at one of the three…and stood stock-still and utterly silent. Watching the stymied Freedom Fighters. Waiting. For _something_…

The ominous silence was finally broken…by the echo of further footsteps. What made them distinctive was that they sounded far heavier than the average Mobian's…and yet lacked the telltale clink of a robot's.

Without preamble, the SWATbots stepped neatly aside, halving the semi-circle…making way for the hulking figure who sailed like a formidable battleship through the newly created gap.

And as it did, Bunnie's eyes widened. "Oh Mah stars…" she practically whispered, "…it's _him_. _Him_!"

The person who now stood between them and the small army of SWATbots was like a macabre creature from a book of extraordinarily nasty children's tales – in fact he was the very ghoul whose name parents all over Mobius had for the last decade invoked whenever their wayward children misbehaved, delivering dire warnings that he would come and take them away if they insisted on being naughty. Actually there had been just as many _adult_ Mobians who had lived in constant terror of that fate…

To the trio he now loomed over, he was so much more than some vague childhood terror – as far as The Freedom Fighters were concerned, he was evil in corporeal form. He was the darkness embodied. Pure terror made flesh.

He was Doctor Robotnik…though his appearance was radically changed from what they remembered. The yellow cape that had once flowed from his broad and powerful shoulders now hung limp against his back, tattered and riddled with holes – though he still wore them, his gloves were split and slowly peeling toward the inevitable point of disintegration. As well as unkemptness, Robotnik had also the distinct appearance of a man who had lost quite an amount of weight over a relatively brief period of time – that which he still retained however remained vast in the eyes of The Freedom Fighters. _His_ eyes were sunken as a result of chronic stress, ringed by grey circles due to lack of proper sleep – they had not however lost an ounce of the pure malevolence that had always resided within them. If it was indeed so that a person's eyes were the windows to their immortal soul then here, beyond any doubt, was a man as close to being the devil as anybody Princess Sally had ever known – they were as two obsidian orbs whose otherwise flawless contours were both marred by a single chink which betrayed the hellish flames imprisoned within. The ginger moustache, once exquisitely combed every single morning, now looked akin to the wildest weed – it made him look for all of Mobius as though the stuffed dummy that Bunnie and Tails used for their Martial Arts training-sessions had been supernaturally brought to life by some malignant hag. The lower half of his face was dominated by a grin of triumph as he surveyed the squirrel, the rabbit and the fox like prize catches dangling from his gibbet. "Your Highness…so charming to see you again." He hissed, performing an extravagant and mocking bow. "I do hope that you will stay awhile and enjoy my hospitality." the crimson glow of his pupils flickered with barely contained glee as he rose back to his full height, "Indeed…I think that I shall have to insist upon it."

As she returned Robotnik's relentless stare with one of cold and calm contempt, Sally knew that her eyes must reflect the hate that the mere sight of him evoked within her – the words she next heard herself to say, her lips formed quite against her will. "You fiend…I hoped and prayed so damn hard for your death." The words sounded vile as she spat them out, like a poison that turned her tongue black. The Princess felt revolted that she could possibly be capable of wishing death upon anybody…even one such as Robotnik. And yet regardless of the extent to which her own words had sickened her…she had meant them with every drop of blood in her body.

Sally truly had hoped that this monster had finally met the end he deserved on the fateful night Ixis Naugus had returned to Mobius, ardently prayed that his failure to capture her had enraged his new master so immensely that…

The Princess shuddered, wishing that she hadn't harboured such a yearning…wishing that she hadn't expressed it in front of Tails. Yet in spite of her better nature, regardless of the motherly impulse which made her want to protect the fox-cub's innocence…the fact remained. She truly had wanted Doctor Robotnik to be dead…

"Tell me, Princess…did you really think that I would not be waiting?" Robotnik inquired with all the hateful relish of a gloating nemesis, "Were you truly so bloated with arrogance that you believed it possible to creep into this city, plunder my wonderful machine from under my very nose and then slither freely away again?"

_Well…it would sound rather foolish to say 'yes' __now._ Sally thought, her eyes narrowed into ice-blue slits – she couldn't help but think it rich that Robotnik should accuse _anybody_ of being 'bloated'.

To the squirrel's far right, Bunnie stood with her paws clenched into tight fists – the rabbit's emerald eyes were aflame as she hunched her shoulders, bracing herself for the desperate fight that this would inevitably come down to. Ready to fight to the end in order to defend Sally, Tails and the honour of The Freedom Fighters.

Robotnik meanwhile continued to crow, "I just knew that making it pitifully obvious that The Roboticizer would be out in the open today, apparently for the taking, would bring you into my metallic grip. I must express my sincerest gratitude to you for having proven my hypothesis so well-founded, Princess. Yes…you came scurrying into my trap just like the mindless beasts that you are." He hissed vindictively.

Sally hitched her lips into the most scornful smile she was capable of – it was a _killer_. "Well that certainly _is_ impressive, Doctor." She remarked, her voice as cool as ice-cream, as she folded her arms and looked him in straight in the eye. "But it wasn't actually _your_ trap, now _was_ it?"

Robotnik's eyes narrowed – The Princess' fiery comebacks had become part and parcel of these little confrontations of theirs over the many years encompassed by the war. Yet that taunt, unlike many others before it, had actually gone home – it _had_ been his idea to use The Roboticizer as bait to lure The Freedom Fighters into a trap. Of course, he'd needed to drop anvil-sized hints to Naugus for a whole week…even though he'd just _known_ that the sadistic sorcerer had known precisely what he'd had in mind in the entire time, that he'd simply been deriving as much pleasure as he possibly could from his lackey's impatience and frustration before he'd finally 'caught on'. But it _had _been his plan…and it had succeeded! Wracking his brain for a suitable comeback, he turned his attention toward Sally's companions – a look of surprised amusement appeared on his emaciated face as he spotted Tails. "Well, well!" he exclaimed, clasping his hands behind his back as he appraised the fox-cub with interest. "What have we here? Sending children to the front line, Princess? My, my…has your cause become so hopelessly desperate then? Or is it simply that you have become just as ruthless as me? If so then I commend you. Tell me, child…which do _you _think it is?"

Sally's eyes became as hard as diamonds, hard to such an extent that their glare could have _shattered _diamonds as her enemy dragged Tails into this. "Leave him alone, Robotnik." She ordered – the breath with which she said it was soft and quiet, about as close to a whisper as it could have come, creating the illusion that she was quite calm as she did so. The reality to which a glance into her eyes would have made one privy was far different however – danger had crystallised within them, the manifestation of a line that Robotnik was now so near to crossing. "I mean it."

Robotnik ignored the demand as ill-natured satisfaction saturated his dark heart – he had found her weakness, her Achilles Heel. It was the simple fact that she _cared_…a trait which, while he would never understand it, he was always ready to exploit. "Tails…isn't it?" his manner was one of condescending familiarity as he continued to address the fox-cub, speaking down to him – the determined glare on the child's face rather tickled him. "It's been such a long time since I last saw you, hasn't it? How you have grown! But come now, you haven't answered my question…have they, with numbers dwindling, sent you here simply to make up the quota? Or are you serving as Her Highness' _bodyguard_?"

Overwhelmed by an urge to do something rather than stand and listen, Tails stepped forward. "You leave her alone, you big…_rotten egg_!" he shouted at Robotnik as he planted himself protectively in front of Sally.

Bunnie grinned in spite of the unremitting grimness of their predicament, "That's right! Ya'll better watch it, otherwise we'll set him onta' ya'll!" she humorously threatened the hulking human.

Sally's paw shot out, grabbing and yanking the fox-cub back, "Tails, stay out of this!" she exclaimed, thrusting him behind her. "Keep behind me!"

Robotnik smirked, perceiving the agitation in Sally's voice as she strove to protect Tails – relishing it, he decided to ratchet his sadism up a level. "Come here, boy." He bade the fox-cub, his voice deceptively gentle. "I have something to say to you." He grinned as Tails' face filled with surprise, "Oh yes…something just for you! What…don't tell me that you are afraid? Come, my young friend…does such faintness of heart befit one standing among the esteemed ranks of The Freedom Fighters?"

Tails felt his heart beat faster…not with fear but with anger. And this anger was not due solely to having been called a child _or_ to the endless efforts of both his Aunts to shield him…it was a reaction to _both_ which made his blood burn so hot that it hurt. _I'm __not__ a child…I'm a Freedom Fighter just like they are! I __can__ be as good as Sonic is…and if they won't see that then I'll just have to __show __them! _With a sudden movement that took Sally by surprise, he jerked himself free from her restraining paw.

And Bunnie was moving toward him now, her amused look having vanished. "Now ya'll listen to your Aunt Sally, Darlin'!" she exclaimed, making to grip the cub's shoulder in her metal paw. "I was only jokin'…he's way too much for ya'll!"

Tails _didn't _listen. Ducking Bunnie's grasp, he started walking rapidly toward Robotnik.

Sally felt her heart stop. "Tails…come back!" she cried desperately, reaching out her paw in an attempt to snatch him back again...a futile attempt. Tails was now beyond her reach and, with a small army of trigger-ready SWATbots watching her every move, she daren't pursue him…not with the cub right in the firing-line should all hell break loose. _Tails…__Tails!_

Tails stopped at roughly a foot away from Robotnik – and here the young fox hesitated as uncertainty stole over him. What was going to happen now? He'd walked right up to Robotnik (which was very brave and all that) but now what? He tried to get a grip of himself, to keep in mind the fact that he and his pair of figurative Aunts were surrounded by armed SWATbots – the situation couldn't go much more badly than that, could it? And besides, all he'd done was what Robotnik had told him to…

Still…as Robotnik leant toward him, Tails couldn't ignore the apprehension which filled him like water flooding a hole-riddled boat. "_Hello_." The Doctor smiled down at him, "How _brave_ of you to come. I'm so _proud_ of you. Now…what was it that I wanted to say? Oh _yes_…" he lunged at Tails – his mouth was so wide and huge that it was as though he would swallow the fox whole as he _screamed; _"_Do not ever presume to come that close to me again_!!"

If there had been anything at all in Tails' bladder just then it would, in that moment and on that spot, have _gone_ – what was more, he wouldn't even have noticed. The terror that hit him was so powerful it sent him staggering back, stumbling and falling into two pairs of arms which encircled him from behind – as Sally and Bunnie held him, their voices cooing soft and comforting reassurances, Tails felt himself being hit by something else. And this something was the shame already burning him from within.

_Sonic wouldn't have been afraid. Sonic…wouldn't have run._

Robotnik's eyes were closed and his hands thrust upon his hips as he threw back his head and roared with delirious mirth – the laughter that had filled him to bursting point as he'd watched the cub go skittering back from him seemed like it would never end. He _yearned _for it never to end. It had been like a single slice of pure heaven, an all too fleeting return to the old days, exactly like having Snively at his beck and call again…and he wanted it to last _forever_.

"Do you really take such pleasure in terrorising other living things?"

The Doctor opened his eyes – Sally was staring at him and if looks could kill then the guilty wish that she had admitted to harbouring would have been granted to her in that moment. As matters stood her eyes were so terrible that they chilled even Robotnik who, much to his own astonishment, took half a step back. Rallying, he sneered in response to The Princess' question; "So you want to protect the little one, eh? How tediously sentimental…I should have taken him from you years ago, Princess."

"Enough." Sally's voice was quiet and steady, low and monotone – it did not, in short, reflect the vast rage burning in those mirror-like eyes. "Call Naugus. I'm sure that he and I can come to some kind of agreement in return for my surrender. Call Naugus."

Robotnik scowled as a sour taste invaded his mouth, turning his humour foul. He knew that, during his reign, The Princess would never have dreamt of making such a request. But _Naugus_, he was a different prospect altogether – the sorcerer's magnificent ego would be immensely gratified by a plea from The Princess, so immensely so that he would most probably agree to a release of lesser captives in return for her obedience. It was for this very reason Robotnik swore that she would not get the chance to make that plea. "Too long have I been forced time after time to endure the embarrassment of coming tantalisingly close to destroying you...only to watch as you squirm free from my grasp at the last second. Too long have I been forced to watch as you destroy my beautiful machines. Too long have I been forced to wait for this hour…_my hour_! Why should I desire to rush such a momentous event?" his simmering eyes burned malevolently into Sally's greatest weakness…Tails who shook beneath their terrible gaze. "True, I no longer possess The Roboticizer…but I am certain that we can find a perfectly serviceable _incinerator_ somewhere!"

"_No_!!"

Sally barely knew what was happening. Whenever she would look back upon this moment in future, the conclusion the squirrel would always draw was that the deadly serious threat to Tails had temporarily unhinged her. At the time however all she knew was that the words Robotnik had just uttered had pushed her beyond the point of either rationality or self-control. She had released Tails, was on her feet. Her eyes were wild, her ears filled with the furious pounding of her own blood, her arms outstretched as she ran toward Robotnik. All she knew was the screaming urge to leap at this monster, to bite and scratch as much of him as she possibly could before she was brought down by a hail of laser-fire…

And this would assuredly have transpired on that which would have been a dark day for The Freedom Fighters…had a wrench not been thrown into the gears of fate.

There were fifteen SWATbots standing in the court – and as Sally made her move precisely fourteen of them turned their rifles upon her, ready to fire. Whereas the fifteenth of their number aimed its weapon elsewhere…

"SWATbots…_hold your fire_!!"

One moment Bunnie, who held firmly onto Tails this time, had been opening her mouth to scream for Sally to _wait_ – in the next moment, it hung wide open as she stared at the one who had roared that command.

Sally skidded to a halt as she heard it too – as she stood and stared blankly at the baffling sight that met her eyes, the blind frenzy lifted from her clearing mind.

Apprehension was etched into Robotnik's face as he stood without moving a single muscle, his taut arms hanging by his sides…the barrel of the fifteenth SWATbot's rifle digging hard into his broad back. "_Who are you_?" The Doctor whispered, his breath a vicious hiss.

If possible, the barrel of the rifle pressed harder into the back of the hulking human as it was thrust by a pair of powerful paws. "The enemy you never should have created." declared The Freedom Fighters' eleventh-hour saviour – the voice that resonated from the metal helmet was not the robotic drone of a SWATbot but a deep and masculine boom which the three from Knothole recognised immediately.

"_Ari_!"

The weight of the hollowed-out SWATbot head that served to mask Ari's identity would have driven Tails to his knees, trapping him underneath it, had he tried it on – in contrast, the towering and muscular ram simply found it tight as he wore it. Especially with his pair of curving horns. As he aimed his rifle into the back of this scum however the minor discomfort was the last thing on Ari's mind. "I _said_ that you'd be on the receiving end someday." The ram's voice was so deep that it rivalled the gathering of thunderclouds. "It's funny, isn't it? You put the knife in my back that day…and now _I've_ got a _gun_ pointed right at _yours_!"

Robotnik turned his head half of the way toward his assailant, slowly and wordlessly – the dark eye that glared, birdlike, at the armed ram seethed with a silent and yet utterly unmistakable promise. Ari would pay dearly for this, should Robotnik emerge alive from this confrontation – and even if he should _not_, the human's dark soul would never rest until it found some way of wreaking vengeance. It was such formidable strength of will and undying enmity that made him both who and what he was…Doctor Robotnik.

Sally felt a nauseating unease as she heard the things that Ari said – the hatred sounded so intense as it reverberated in each syllable the ram breathed that she could have imagined it as a crimson mist emanating from his muscle-bound body. It unsettled her deeply, made her feel conflicted – The Princess knew that Ari deserved his revenge, that couldn't be denied.But that didn't mean her sleep of the coming night wouldn't be disturbed by the haunting sight of a twitching corpse sprawled across the ground, a curling trail of smoke rising from a hole burnt through its torso…even if that corpse might be that of Robotnik. _He wouldn't __really...__would__ he?_ Nor was it something that she desired for Tails ever to be forced to witness. _Ari__…don't do it! __Please__ don't!_

Praying silently that Ari would stay his paw, Sally planted both of hers upon her hips as she turned to address Robotnik – her demeanour was of a calmness at total odds with the anxiety she felt within. "It would appear that negotiations have taken an unexpected turn." Her smile was sweet and charming as she took deep pleasure in rubbing the human's face in it, "New deal, Robotnik; you tell your soulless machines to drop their rifles and stand down. And, in return, I won't instruct my comrade to…"

Fate, like fame, is incredibly fickle – this was a lesson reinforced upon the minds of The Freedom Fighters that day as the smile of favour that it had bestowed upon them changed just as swiftly to the frown of displeasure.

Ari's eyes widened in shock…the rifle had suddenly turned white-hot, its temperature so intensely scathing that it blistered his paws! "_Son of a_…!!" unable to restrain the impulse, he flung the searing weapon from him as hard as he possibly could – and as he struggle to tear the metal gauntlets from his pain-wracked paws, he heard the sharp click of rifles being aimed at him.

Sally watched blankly, the disdainful speech dying at her lips, as the rifle span across the ground and beyond reach – her eyes were blank as she saw the dull red glow that it gave off. "W-what…?" she stammered, struggling to grasp what had just occurred.

A chortle, which might have been mistaken for the scraping of chair-legs across a stone floor, floated down from above. A mirthful sound which could have come from only one person on all of Mobius - and as she raised her eyes slowly skyward, Sally felt all hope depart from her spirit.

Stood upon the brink of the northern rooftop was a figure more grotesque than any gargoyle, be it of living flesh or cold crumbling stone – as Ixis Naugus looked down on those below, his manner was rather like that of a theater-critic seated quite comfortably upon a balcony. "Splendid, splendid!" the sorcerer croaked heartily, "A performance far more engaging than any I have ever seen before! Why, you people actually _dripped_ with malice as you spoke to one another!" his unappealing visage adopting a grandfatherly smile as he met the staring eyes of Sally. "Princess." the sorcerer wheezed as he lowered the finger with which he had cast the spell that had disarmed Ari, "You requested my presence, did you not?"

* * *

"Newsflash, metal-head; the only good SWATbot is a _recycled_ SWATbot!"

Such was the motto of Sonic the Hedgehog – and the SWATbot now hovering over him and his comrades didn't come close to breaking that rule. Lieutenant Omega was larger and meaner-looking than any run-of-the-mill SWATbot the hedgehog had ever seen…and there was something else about it that he didn't like at all. Something unrelated to his greater size and strength, something that the hedgehog couldn't quite put his finger on…

Omega didn't respond – _verbally_ at any rate. What the robotic centurion did was slowly let go of the Hover Pad's handrail, holding 'his' arms out in the air as 'he' moved them toward each other – and as the sides of 'his' clenched fists established contact, there was a piercing _flash_. Two shafts of blazing blue light shot forth from Omega's wrists – as 'he' slowly separated 'his' arms like a pair of scissors being opened with great care, the beams swept across the ground in symmetrical curves which left two small trenches scorched in their wake. _Lasers_! But not the crude emissions of the rifles carried by regular SWATbots; the beams being projected by Omega were super-powered _cutting_-_lasers_!

But The Freedom Fighters were in for a surprise – not a single one of them appeared to be the target. This honour was instead reserved for the articles of discarded machinery heaped up all around them – Sonic stared blankly across his shoulder as the twin laser-beams began to slice cleanly through the unstable stacks, which toppled to the ground in a series of deafening crashes, as easily as a knife passing through butter on a scorcher day.

Unable to work out just what the heck was going on, Sonic seized the chance to address his pair of comrades. "Ant, Rote…lissen' up! Whatever happens, we gotta get The Roboticizer back ta' Knothole!" The absolute and indisputable truth - millions of Mobians whose anguished souls had cried out for release over the last ten years depended on the recovery of that evil machine. Ironically the very machine responsible for their miserable fates. The mission had to succeed…whatever the cost. "_So_…when I say the word, I want the two of ya ta' shove it onta' the cart an' juice!"

"Sonic…" Rotor was staring at the hedgehog in concern, excited sweat running down his face. "…what about _you_?"

Sonic's eyes were narrowed in an intense glare – they hadn't left the gleaming visage of the hovering SWATbot for an instant. "I'll catch up wit'cha later." He breathed, his voice unusually quiet. "This guy is _mine_."

From the precise second his eyes had fallen upon it, Sonic had known in his soul that he'd seen this SWATbot before – and it had been with a jolt of shock that he'd remembered not only _when_ but also _where_. Never had the hedgehog forgotten that day ten years ago…the day of The Coup. With ever vivid clarity he remembered how he and his friends had hidden behind a thick bush, their much younger eyes filled with confusion and their breaths held in fear, as Doctor Robotnik's army of SWATbots had swarmed through the streets of Mobotropolis.

And at the head of the invasion-force, a SWATbot far different from the rest – Sonic recalled watching as it had planted one metallic hand upon the side of its hip and pointed across the conquered city with the other, booming in a deeply reverberating voice; _**"Flank the palace. Secure all exit and entry points." **_And the reason the hedgehog remembered that SWATbot was that it had been the very SWATbot which now hovered menacingly in front of him. It had been Lieutenant Omega 'who' had led the SWATbots in taking Mobotropolis that day. And as he found himself muzzle-to-face with the machine that had helped to overthrow that wonderful kingdom, that had captured and roboticized so many Mobians for years after, Sonic found himself thinking something else.

_Time for some __way overdue payback!_

Shaking his mind free of the thoughts that had run through it like a river, Sonic narrowed his eyes. "Don't worry about me." He told his comrades, shortly and simply. "Just be ready ta' grab what we came here for an' bail at warp-seven."

"But Sonic…" Rotor began to protest, knowing as he did so that it was useless to even try – something about that SWATbot however made the walrus feel horribly uneasy.

Apparently it had a similar effect on Antoine, "I am thinkeeng that it is most unwise you are being!" the coyote put in eloquently.

Any further effort the pair might have made to convince the hedgehog to come with them was diverted into oblivion by _the_ _noise_; a nerve-rending, teeth-grinding, ear-splitting noise. The noise of metal wailing in helpless anguish…

_What the…?! _

Sonic's eyes shot upward along with those of his comrades. Far over the heads of the trio, two metal poles as long and thick as the greatest of tree-trunks seemed to hang in the air in reckless defiance of gravity - the fact that they appeared to swell larger and larger in size with each passing second destroyed that illusion however. The two floodlight-towers had once presented a great challenge to The Freedom Fighters whenever they'd had the need to creep stealthily through Robotropolis – at some point during the last few months however they had become part of the immense clutter of The Dumping-Zone. And at that precise moment in time they tilted forward, their bases sliced clean in half by the cutting-lasers…and toppled down on the spot where Sonic, Antoine and Rotor were standing!

There would've been no chance for either Rotor or Antoine to avoid the crushing weight which bore down on them, even if they hadn't both stood frozen in shock - it was considerably fortunate, then, that a certain blue hedgehog was with them. "Dude…nobody, an' I mean _nobody_, blindsides _The Hedgehog_!" Sonic exclaimed as he hunched his shoulders and bent his legs. "Oh and guys…_word_!" Rotor and Antoine watched spellbound as their comrade launched himself into the air, soaring straight up to meet the descent of the floodlight-towers, proclaiming in his best game-show host impression; "_Spin and win time_!"

And just before his nose was relocated to the back of his skull…performed a super spin! The sound of a buzz-saw in action seemed to cut through the particles of the air as Sonic made contact with the pair of falling cylinders – as bright-orange sparks fell in a sparkling shower, the speed of the hedgehog's ascent seemed to grant him temporary immunity from the laws of gravity. This reprieve appeared to extend to the metal towers which hung suspended in mid-air by the force of Sonic's interception…but would the hedgehog succeed in cutting through both of them before their combined crushing weight drove him down?

That was the question. And Lieutenant Omega's electronic brain was firmly convinced that the answer was in the negative. Turning 'his' attention from the hedgehog, soon to be Mobius' flattest pincushion, The Elite SWATbot deactivated the cutting-lasers – this proved no relief for The Freedom Fighters however since, setting 'his' sights upon Rotor and Antoine, 'he' proceeded to let loose an onslaught of regular laser-fire!

**_"According to my master's orders, you Freedom Fighters are vermin...and I'm the exterminator. But just between yourselves and I...I'd do this even if the case were otherwise."_**

As he backed away from this fresh and equally lethal barrage, Rotor felt a nudge in his ribs – looking across his grey shoulder, he saw Antoine staring at him. In the guardsman's eyes there burned fire of an ardency that, had he not seen it for himself, the walrus would never have believed his comrade to be capable of mustering. "You heard the Hoghedge, Rotor!" barked the coyote, an unusual authority ringing in his voice, "We are to be obeying the last order of our Captain!"

Astonished by the best that this crisis had brought out in his comrade, Rotor followed Antoine's lead – together, walrus and coyote evaded the rain of laser-beams and made toward The Roboticizer. Ducking behind the mechanical monster, the pair of them took cover from Omega's assault – after taking a heart-pounding and sweat-drenched moment to recover their breaths, Rotor and Antoine gritted their teeth and put their shoulders against the upended base of The Roboticizer. Several minutes passing during which both of them became convinced that their eyes would surely pop out…then, so suddenly that both were equally certain that what they felt was their brains escaping through their ears, it _gave_. Sliding from the small heap of scrap-metal upon which it had been enthroned…and rolling neatly onto the waiting cart.

Antoine and Rotor stared. Their faces were drenched with perspiration, their pounding heads felt like a pair of tomato-seeds that had once accidentally gotten up their noses were now _growing_…and they could not believe that what had just happened had just happened. The exquisitely cut and painstakingly designed lens of energy-crystal through which the Roboticization Beam had once been focused, the metal casing which held the assorted microchips within which were stored those mind-bogglingly complex codes that The Freedom Fighters had sought for so very long now…they were safely onboard the cart, ready and waiting to be brought back to Knothole!

They had done it. And their shared success made them both feel as light as air.

The downside presented itself in due course and with sickening clarity. No longer separated from them by The Roboticizer, Omega homed in on 'his' prey. _**"Hmm…that was certainly **__**one **__**way to squander your last fleeting moment on Mobius." **_commented The Elite as, aboard the technological equivalent of a magic carpet, 'he' floated in the space between the cart and The Freedom Fighters.

Rotor and Antoine felt a dull ache creeping through every joint of their skeletons as those fists rose again, one steadily aimed at either of them. There was nowhere to run…it was over. Only it wasn't. The Freedom Fighters felt the ground shudder beneath their beneath, not once but twice…as the very ends of the floodlight-towers came crashing down at last. Several feet away from where they stood. Harmlessly. Severed.

Sonic soared through the air as free as a bird even as what remained of the metal cylinders slowly toppled back into the scrap-heaps, their courses reversed by the force of his spin. Landing safely back on the ground, the hedgehog paused in order to plant his paws on his knees and heave for breath – the effort and pressure of what he'd just done had been so intense that he'd felt like his head was going to split in half!

Sonic looked up, his eyes meeting the crimson glare of Omega – The Elite was staring back over 'his' shoulder, 'his' focus diverted from Rotor and Antoine by the hedgehog 'he'd' been so certain that 'he' had conquered. "Hey!" panted the spikiest of The Freedom Fighters, "You oversized action-figure! Why don'cha back off an' give my buds their space?"

As smoothly as a spiralling breath of air, the Hover Pad turned. _**"Why don't you **__**make **__**me, Hedgehog?" **_Omega was speeding toward 'his' target even as 'he' made that retort.

And despite his aching face, Sonic found himself grinning. "Hey, I don't make SWATbots…" shot back the hedgehog, "…I send 'em ta' the scrap-yard!" he hopped twice, first on the left foot and then on the right, avoiding by inches the shots that Omega took at him – then he threw himself through the air in a backwards somersault. For the next few seconds The Dumping-Zone seemed to turn over and over – then his feet were back on the ground and, that little stunt having put a good few feet between him and his robotic adversary, the hedgehog was _away _again.

In a dazzling blue flash, Sonic evaded Omega with a zigzagging sprint, a rain of laser-blasts and a trail of blazing fire left in his wake! "Ant, Rote…find Sally an' the others an' make cart-tracks back ta' Knothole!" he called to his comrades to whom he appeared a dizzying blur, "I'll see all of ya later! So…_later_!"

"But Sonic…" Rotor began to protest, again feeling that he was wasting his breath – again the instinct was proven correct.

A stab of frustration pierced Rotor's heart as he watched Sonic rocket toward the scrap-heaps that formed the eastern side of this 'clearing', Omega hot on his heels. There must be something that he could do to help Sonic or at least even the odds in the hedgehog's favour…he couldn't be totally powerless! Then it came to him in a flash of inspiration…the answer. _Maybe, just maybe, The Roboticizer isn't the only machine that can help us out…_Slowly and thoughtfully, the walrus reached into the tool-pouch he kept attached to his belt – as his paw closed around the handle of his favourite screwdriver, a smile started to spread across his whiskery face. _Tricky…but it should work._

Sonic zoomed straight up the stack which tilted forward beneath the pounding of his white-hot soles, then back again as he reached the top and ran down the _opposite_ side. The hedgehog felt as though he was riding The Most Extreme Rollercoaster On Mobius™ as he continued onward, running up the fronts and backs of several more stacks. Each that he surmounted took him deeper and deeper into the haphazardly formed maze. Deciding that he'd run far enough, Sonic stopped – flattening his back against the stack his feet had just conquered, he held his breath.

What he needed was to buy Rotor and Antoine enough time to get The Roboticizer out of here – and this chaotic clutter of abandoned machines and disowned robots was the perfect place for a little game of cat and mouse. Or more accurately SWATbot and Hedgehog. Sonic felt his quills vibrate in response to the impact of distant stacks being sent crashing to the ground in swift succession – it appeared that Omega was creating 'his' own route through the maze. Sonic listened to the sounds of spontaneous demolition in surprise – the hedgehog had expected his pursuer to attempt to track him from the air.

The hedgehog grinned as the pandemonium generated by Omega's search tactic filled his pointed ears. _Man! I can hear that SWATbutt comin' from a mile away! Has his brain gone rusty or __what_It was just as he finished thinking this that the stack against which he was pressed _exploded_, hurling him from his feet. Before the shock could even resonate in his mind, the hedgehog's forehead struck against the stack directly ahead of where he'd stood seconds ago. An indeterminate period of time passed as he sprawled face-down across the filth-ridden ground, his ears ringing and head swimming, his whole body aching as though he'd received a direct hit from a heavy-duty battering-ram…

As he finally began to regain his senses, Sonic slowly pressed his numbed paws against the seemingly spinning ground. A minute later he'd successfully risen to one unsteady knee and was gazing up at the sight that met his shell-shocked eyes; a set of metallic knuckles barely an inch from his muzzle.

Omega hovered over 'his' cornered quarry, seconds away from discharging a laser-blast right between the hedgehog's eyes. 'His' Heat-Detection Mode had enabled 'him' to determine The Freedom Fighter's exact position with perfect ease. And now The Elite was poised upon the brink of attaining the ultimate distinction for a member of 'his' brethren; the termination of Sonic the Hedgehog.

"_**Any last words, Hedgehog?" **_

As he felt the blood trickle sluggishly down his face, Sonic also felt a dead certainty manifest within his soul; _this_ was _it_. After all those years of thumbing his nose at danger and laughing in the face of death, of risking everything in order to fight for the freedom of Mobius…his time had come. It was all over. And he knew it. And even as he accepted it, his eyes burned with the fire of the unbreakable will that had always made him the bravest of The Freedom Fighters. "Yeah. You're ugly." He answered the taunt, quick as a flash.

"_**So **__**recalcitrant." **_A ruby-like glow emanated from Omega's wrist, signalling the build-up of power for one last laser-blast; for Sonic, the final blow of fate. _**"And soon to be so **__**dead**__**. I only hope that such a defiant spirit won't be **__**too**__** overwhelmed by the knowledge that your beloved Princess is being captured even as we utter this trite banter."**_

Fear seized the hedgehog. _Bunnie... _Its touch felt like an icy claw that closed around his heart and pierced it so deeply that even the river of blood seemed devoid of warmth as it formed inlets upon his muzzle. _Tails... _His soul screamed with fury as he glared at the hateful machine…the machine that had taunted him with the fact that the rabbit and fox whom had grown to be as sister and brother to him were both in danger. Along with the only woman he had ever loved. _Sally...Sally!_

In fact Sonic was so fixated on Omega that it was no surprise at all that he didn't notice the flash of gold which streaked over both their heads…

Sonic clenched his teeth as he knelt there, powerless and helpless, a nanosecond between him and death…and yet not destined to be claimed by it that day.

The ringing in his ears was supplanted by the crunching sound of sudden and heavy impact. As a series of cracks formed across the ground on which he knelt, Sonic shot a look across his shoulder. At the heart of the spiralling fissures stood the golden figure of the one whose descent from above had created them. Proudly supported by two pairs of powerful legs, it gave its long tail a lazy flick – its silver fangs were set in a haughty grin as it regarded the hedgehog silently through eyes of purple crystal.

_No way… _Sonic thought in a daze, his mind struggling to accept the presence of the robot which stood a short distance away from him; "_You_!"

The Speed Bot was active once more.

**End of Chapter**

_Author Notes - Guess Sal just learned that sometimes the best requests are unanswered ones, huh? Or...or something. Anyway...hope that'cha enjoyed that! See ya next chapter!_

_All together now...Keep On Freedom Fightin'!_


	7. Clash of The Machines

_Author Notes - Hey, hey...guess who? Did ya'll miss me? Did'ja think that I'd fallen down something deep and possibly spikey? No way! I'm here 'til The SWATbots get me!! Anyway, I'm really sorry that this took so long - whoever said that the pen is mightier than the swod obviously never had to __proof-read__ anything. I'm afraid, however, that I must make this a double-apology - I kinda told a few of you that both a turning-point for Tails and an update Zero-wise was slated for this chapter. And so they were...but I've kinda been forced to move both to the next chapter. It was the infernal page-count that shot to pieces my original plan - towards the end of writing Scene Two, I realised that putting in the rest of the scenes I'd had in mind would simply make this chapter way too long. So...I've decided to put them into the next one instead. I'm really very sorry and I promise that the Tails/Zero stuff is comin' up in Chapter Seven!_

_Whew...I guess I'll leave you guys to check this out. I hope you enjoy it!_

**Chapter Six**

**Clash of The Machines; The Claw of Naugus**

'Caught between two stools' – so went the old saying.

_Dunno what the heck it's supposed ta' __mean__..._ Sonic thought as he lay on the stone-cold ground with an excruciating ache in his side, on his face the darkest of dark scowls. _…but I'm sure as heck caught between two __stooges__ right now! _If the hedgehog was mere seconds away from being despatched to meet his incredibly inspired and gifted maker, then to be mocked by this unloved face from the past was the last thing that he wished to endure. "Hey, Bot Breath!" he snapped, crabbily. "Why don'cha mind ya own business?!"

That The Speed Bot had not been conceived and built with any degree of speech capability in mind, the hedgehog neither knew nor cared. As a matter of fact, it barely mattered since the robotic cat had no need whatsoever to verbally convey 'his' thoughts – the manner in which 'he' tilted 'his' head in response to Sonic's scathing remark communicated flawlessly; 'Everything you can do, I can do better. Deal with it.'

The question of how exactly the robot had come to be standing a short distance away from him when the evidence of his own eyes had, but a short while ago, told him that 'he' could safely have been filed under 'D' for 'Deactivated' did not for the moment cross the hedgehog's mind – then again, Sonic had fair bit on it at that _particular_ moment.

"_**You heard the hedgehog." **_Had _Omega_ been designed with _expressive_ capability in mind, then 'his' face would now have conveyed the dogged hostility of a hunter faced with an interloper intent upon stealing 'his' hard-earned prize – since 'he' _hadn't _been, however, The Elite resorted instead to verbal deterrence. _**"Your chance came and went long ago. Now it's my turn. So turn that tail and run away like a good little bag of bolts or I may decide to use it to gift-wrap this scum's carcass before laying it at the feet of Lord Naugus." **_

The Speed Bot did not turn 'his' tail. 'He' turned 'his' head - a peculiar gleam flickered through those purple eyes of 'his' as 'he' stared at The Elite in calculating silence. And though it may have been little more than a trick of the light, to Sonic's eyes that perpetual grin now seemed much more pronounced. One of those long forelegs began to move, raking the ground with a robotic paw – as he watched bemusedly, Sonic was reminded strongly of a bull. A bull who had just been shown a red scarf. A bull who now prepared to…

The Speed Bot _moved_.

As Sonic saw the golden robot soar toward him with 'his' powerful forelegs thrust outward and 'his' broad back arched, his gloved paw impulsively crushed the sludgy gravel that it had unconsciously gathered up from the ground. Within the next fateful moment, the hedgehog fully expected to find himself either trapped beneath the weight of the great cat or experiencing the removal of his brain from his skull by means of the crudest form of laser-surgery known to Mobian. So it came as somewhat of a surprise when agonising death failed to take him.

The Speed Bot did not descend upon the hedgehog – Sonic was not even the prey 'he' had in mind.

Believing that 'he' had convinced the robotic cat to back down, Omega had turned 'his' full attention back toward Sonic – as 'his' highly sophisticated sensors detected a sudden movement to the far-right however, The Elite was forced to postpone the coup de grâce. As it received the command relayed from the electronic brain of its rider, The Hover Pad swerved sharply to the left…barely avoiding The Speed Bot's lightning pounce! _**"You asked for it, Felix." **_The Elite's icy voice dripped with pure menace, _**"By the time I'm done with you, there won't be enough salvageable parts left over to make a battery-powered calculator!"**_

As 'his' prey eluded 'him', The Speed Bot simply kept moving – 'his' two pairs of formidable paws re-establishing their ever fleeting relationship with the ground, the shining speedster pivoted on the spot. Fuelled by the same energy that had been behind that potentially devastating spring, the great cat swung 'his' long and powerful tail through the air like a morning-star. 'His' target; Omega.

Again Omega's razor-sharp sensors enabled him to avoid the blow – The Hover Pad leapt skyward with a speed that would have caused the SWATbot to lose 'his' footing and fall, had 'he' not held firmly onto the handrail. _**"Who taught you to aim that thing?" **_Omega taunted as 'he' zipped out of sight, _**"A WORKERbot?"**_

As he was deprived of 'his' intended target, The Speed Bot's mechanical appendage smashed against the nearest alternative target. Yet even as a generous section of the leftmost wall went toppling back like a tree chopped clean through at the base, the robotic cat _still moved,_ spinning away from the descending wave of refuse. The legs of the robotic cat bore powerful resemblance to the wheels of a thundering chariot as 'he' hurtled up the side of the vertical strata of the rightmost wall, continuing 'his' pursuit of Lieutenant Omega with style.

Style that struck the open-mouthed Sonic as distinctly _familiar_. _Well…Bunnie __did__ once say that imitation is supposed to be the sincerest form of flattery. _A wry smile briefly touched the hedgehog's face. _If that's so then Antoine's head sure must swell whenever he spots a __chicken!_ Complete confusion engulfed his bloodied face, superceding shellshock. _Uh…did what I __think__ just happened really just __happen?_ The hedgehog shook his head, as though doing so would halt the tiny pick-axe apparently trying to escape the inside of his skull. 'Never look a gift horse in the mouth'…or as Sonic would personally have put it, 'Better safe than splattered'. He'd have time to worry about 'how' and 'why' later. Right now…this hedgehog had work to do. It didn't matter right now, he decided, how his unexpected salvation had come about. All that mattered was the window of opportunity now open to him – mere seconds ago, the hedgehog had faced certain death. _Now_…he had a _choice_. A choice to stand up, dash the blood from his face…to go save Bunnie, Tails and Sally.

Sonic forced himself back to his feet, stood and _swayed_ for a moment. Several long gulps of air later, his vision was steady once more. Having regained the ability to see straight, he next removed the stream of blood that had coursed down his muzzle with one sweep of the paw. Then like an uncoiled spring, he _moved_. _Okay…looks like there's nowhere ta' go from here but up! _Up the side of stacked scrap the hedgehog indeed surged, running as though he'd never run before – when he reached the top of the steep vertice of accumulated scrap however, he did not go over and down the opposite side. This time, the hedgehog pushed the soles of his sneakers against it – for the second time that day, the spikiest Freedom Fighter in Knothole turned over and over through the air in a backward somersault.

As he landed upon a pile of dismembered robotic parts, Sonic was surprised to find that his body swayed back and forth like a javelin hurled with such power that it had become embedded in the ground. It didn't take him too long to discover the cause of this strange phenomona; the assortment of metallic appendages had begun to wobble disconcertingly beneath the soles of his sneakers! _Woah__! What this situation calls for is some __swift stability!_ Straightening his back, Sonic held out his arms in the manner of a seasoned surfer and leaned forward in order to prevent his unbalanced perch from toppling backwards to the ground – a few measured tilts later, the wall of refuse stood stable once more. _Yeah__!! I still __got it__! I'm the most 'balanced' hedgehog in Knothole…whatever Sal might say! _

Just as he was beginning to feel secure enough to sigh with relief, Sonic's interest was aroused by a sudden flash of _light_ – turning his head in the direction from whence it came, he widened his eyes. "_Woah_…!!" Bending backwards, the hedgehog narrowly beat the odds of avoiding the laser-beam that came streaking toward him. Once the ray of scorching heat had soared over his shoulder, he returned to his full height and scowled. "Okay, tin-grin! Ya wanna play 'tag'? Well, here's the hedgehog who'll give ya the game of…oh."

Ironically the one laser-blast to have come within a hairs-breadth of the hedgehog that day had been one not even _aimed_ at him – a laser-blast that had missed its _true_ target.

The hunter had become the hunted; The Speed Bot was moving almost faster than the naked eye could follow as 'he' bounded from each and every conceivable foothold, weaving in and out of the seemingly endless gauntlet of laser-fire in a determined endeavour to corner 'his' prey – far from having managed to score a single hit upon 'his' nemesis, the sole triumph Omega could have boasted was that he had successfully evaded the golden cat for this long. _**"What's the matter?" **_taunted The Elite, _**"Is your bark worse than your gigabyte?"**_

As he observed the steps of this fast and furious dance, this clash of the machines, Sonic wondered about the reason behind The Speed Bot's behaviour - true, 'his' unexpected intervention had saved the hedgehog from a brutal death but that didn't mean that he was going to suddenly start trusting the robot.

In spite of himself, Sonic felt quite dizzy as he watched – Omega's head twisted erratically from right to left, like that of a broken windup toy, as 'he' strove to keep The Speed Bot in sight. _Man, will ya look at him!_ _I wouldn't be surprise ta' see his head…spin clean…off. _Muscle by muscle, the hedgehog froze as that solitary thought sparked off a chain-reaction in his mind.

As he began thinking at triple-speed, Sonic remembered a certain day thirteen years ago. Back then, he'd been three years old and already sheer energy had burst from every pour on his body. Another thing that he'd already been was extremely eager to impress members of the opposite sex…even though he'd had no idea _why_. So when a clique of girls hadn't been able to agree upon which of them would _push_ the park roundabout while the rest of them _rode_ it, he'd been _right there_ before any of them could even blink. Sonic remembered as clearly as though it had been yesterday, how he had gripped the side of the ride in his small paw and started to run...and only _too clearly_, what had happened when he'd tried to _stop_. Having lacked the foresight to _let go_ of the roundabout, the young hedgehog had been yanked from his feet by the rapidly spinning children's ride – and so the young hedgehog had come to find himself whirling around and around through the air, howling his lungs raw, his ears ringing as the other kids at the park had laughed at him.

Well…_most _of them anyway. One of the other kids had disdained to indulge in a good laugh at the scared child's expense, to further ridicule him. In fact _she_ had come running to his rescue, changing his life forever with her friendship.

And that kid had been…

_Sal__... _As he thought about her, Sonic felt an overwhelming desire to see The Princess. A poetic soul had once described the woman he loved as being 'the wind beneath his wings'. Sonic would, of course, have put it in his own unique way. He would have described Sally as being the _ground_ beneath his _feet_. And it would actually have been far more romantic than it would have _sounded_ – the hedgehog spent most of his life running, always had and always would. But _Sally_…she gave him a reason to stand in one place for longer than a minute. And as he thought about the beautiful squirrel, both his feet simply itched to head to The Rendezvous Point so that he could find her.

For the moment however, Sonic suppressed that almost overpowering instinct.

_Sal…I'm comin' for ya and the others. Hang in there for just a little longer…there's somethin' I've gotta take care of first. _

The memory of that day in the park had always been the one he cherished most - and today it had been the inspiration that just might hold the key to defeating Omega.

A crazed demonic grin spread across his nicked and dirtied face, a reflection of the plan now rapidly forming in his mind and sending _burning energy_ coursing through his entire body. _Okay…time ta' show chrome-dome just how __wreck__-calsi-trent this hedgehog can get! _With that thought burning in his mind, the hedgehog turned and jumped toward the closest stack…

The Speed Bot had been designed specifically to match Sonic's incredible fleetness of foot. Omega's _brain_, on the other hand, had been programmed with the digitized mind of the greatest military-tactician ever to serve The Royal Army. Unable to compete in terms of speed with this truly formidable opponent, The Elite drew upon 'his' exceptionally deadly cunning.

With a single thought, Omega maneuvered 'his' Hover Pad to a strategic spot just above one of the maze-like walls – and as soon as 'he' was in place, The Elite thrust both of 'his' fists at the oncoming robot. Once more 'his' wrists emitted a crimson glow as the energy for two twin laser-blasts began to charge. _However_…the standard laser-attack was not the crux of 'his' next move. Its true purpose was to serve as a _distraction_...

And as the The Speed Bot soared in for the kill, the plan that Omega had so adeptly formulated fell into place like a ball into a cup.

Omega waited one second, two, three…then silently commanded The Hover Pad to _move_.

As The Elite reversed abruptly, The Speed Bot hurtled through empty space like a lion deprived of 'his' prey – with a sickening thud, 'his' stomach struck the top of the wall. The robotic cat's back was forced into an arching position, 'his' front and back legs separated by the two sides of the mass of trashed machinery.

As The Speed Bot struggled to haul 'himself' up from the edge of the precipice, a pulsating red dot was projected onto 'his' forehead - Omega's artificial mind experienced what just may have passed for smug self-satisfaction as 'he' pointed a glowing right fist at the stymied robot, _**"I'll tell Lord Naugus that I had to dismantle a defective. You won't be coming back this time!"**_

The level of energy necessary to produce a blast of instant-destruction was reached...and proven wasted.

Omega's sensors alerted 'him' to the sudden boom and rushing sound, so swiftly that 'he' was able to turn in time to see the source of both – yet still not swift enough to enable 'him' to counter or even avoid the dazzling blue blur now coursing straight for 'him'.

Sonic had been busy - _brother _had he been _busy_. As he'd raced along the tops of walls like an out of control freight-train, the hedgehog had built up rapid momentum – and as all that lay to his sides was reduced to sheer haze, he decided that _this_ was _it_.

It was _now_ or _never_...

With a sideward leap from his narrow pathway, Sonic hit the side of another wall with his feet and ricocheted through the air just like The Hedgehog Bullet! _"Hey, SWAT__butt_his legs pressed together as he soared past the air-born menace, the hedgehog thrust out an arm – Omega could only watch as a blood-stained paw closed around 'his' handrail. "_Ya snooze, ya lose_!"

Pooling both the speed and momentum that he had gained, Sonic kicked out his legs like a cobalt trapeze-artist and swung round and round in a relentless arc – just like all circles, philosophically speaking, this one seemed to have neither beginning nor end.

A second later, even Omega's super-advanced sensors were unable to determine whether 'he' was coming or going…as The Hover Pad began to spin like a revolving chair caught in the path of a tornado!

"_Around and around and __awaaay weee gooo_!!"

The Speed Bot's crystalline eyes watched inexpressive silence – though the great cat had been given no ability to convey what passed through 'his' artificial mind, that was not to say 'he' didn't have one. As it happened, the robot was reminiscing about 'his' first impression of Sonic on the day of the race so very long ago._** ('This is my rival? Yawn.' ) **_Yet all was changed now. _**(He was near as one can come to breaking. Yet when it would have been easier to lie down and surrender to death…)**_

Pouring into the task every iota of processing-power 'he' was capable of, Omega calculated the speed of the circling hedgehog – a truly impressive fete that would have reduced the brain of a lesser SWATbot to silicon stew. Hunching 'his' broad shoulders, The Elite prepared to drive a set of cold hard knuckles into that grinning muzzle...

Unfortunately for this plan, however, the grinning muzle suddenly _disappeared from _view. Something that Sonic had learned over the years he'd been a Freedom Fighter was that there always came a time when, tenacious as one might be, the only thing that one can do is let go. And as his face began to feel like it would rip backwards from his head like a hood of fur and flesh, his leg-bones as though they verged upon performing an exodus through the soles of his feet, the hedgehog decided that _now_ was such a time.

So he let go.

As they saw the hedgehog fall, those purple eyes flashed. Having succeeded in anchoring 'his' forelegs across the wall, The Speed Bot now kicked 'his' hind-legs up into the air – a moment later the great cat was perched atop the wall that 'he' had conquered, 'his' four paws balanced in an eye-watering way. Following such an ordeal, any living thing would have required time to rest – The Speed Bot, _not_ being a thing of flesh and blood, hesitated for barely a second. With a powerful thrust of those back-legs, the robotic cat left the top of the wall in a mighty leap.

And this time 'his' objective _was_ Sonic the Hedgehog.

_**(…he chose life!)**_

As The Hover Pad spiralled through the air, it was only the handrail that prevented Omega from falling to the ground. As 'he' struggled to regain control, The Elite caught a fleeting glimpse of something that was enough to daunt even 'him'; a mountainous mass of mangled assembly-line machines that grew nearer, not to mention _huger_, with each out-of-control spin the Hover Pad took!

_**(Now...) **_Omega mused as 'he' gripped the handrail like an ill-fated sea-captain faced with a reef which had spelled doom for countless others before 'him'. _**(...this does present difficulties.)**_

Sonic's ears were filled by a piercing whistle as he hurtled through empty air – nonetheless he heard the sound that carried to them. What caused this strange din, the freefalling hedgehog had no idea – the one thing he knew for sure was that it reminded him of that wintry week when circumstances had conspired to force him to room with Antoine. More specifically, he was reminded of the day he'd contracted a severe case of the munchies and strolled into the kitchen to fix himself a king-sized plateful of chilidogs; as the hedgehog had opened the cutlery-cabinet, however, an avalanche of dinner-plates had come cascading out and shattered into smithereens upon the floor. Yes...if those doomed plates had been a heck of a lot bigger _and_ made from metal, then the sound they'd made that day _and_ the sound that now joined the assault on Sonic's ears would've been one and the same.

Sonic's descent seemed endless as he sailed through the air like a prickly Frisbee – it was as though every atom of his spread-eagled body had united in one final glorious stand against the formidable force of gravity. As grim reality had it however the ground was in fact rushing up to meet the falling hedgehog…and with an impact that would have broken nearly every bone in his body as well as rupturing many of his vital organs. The only alternative scenario available to him was that he might happen to hit one of the numerous stacks, snapping his spine into indeterminable pieces. Since the ultimate result of either case would be a slow and painful death, Sonic wouldn't have said that he'd have particularly preferred one to the other...

_If I get through ta' the other side of this in one piece, I swear I'll never pick on Antoine again...well, not as much anyway._

The first indication Sonic received that he wasn't going to die after all was the flash of motion that came streaking through the air, intercepting his descent. In one second, it had seemed as though the bottom had fallen out of the entire world – whereas in the next it seemed to the hedgehog's wild mind that a rainbow had formed beneath him unexpectedly, that he was now sliding down its cresting face as smoothly and gracefully as a breath of wind. As a bump of landing established that he was falling no longer, however, his reeling mind popped back into place and he told himself that that was just dumb. The second indication was that, despite being firmly on the ground again, he wasn't lying in a spreading pool of his own blood – he was instead in an upright position, his legs situated as though he sat astride one of The Hover Bikes ridden by The Nasty Hyenas.

After a protracted moment of stark disbelief, during which he incidentally realised that he was back outside The Dumping Zone, Sonic lowered his eyes very slowly - the long mechanical tail flicking languidly beneath the hedgehog's gaze suggested that the manner of his miraculous survival lent an all-new meaning to the phrase 'taken for a ride' – still exercising the greatest caution, he turned to look over his shoulder.

And into the eyes of The Speed Bot 'who' had craned 'his' neck in order to look at _the hedgehog._

"BWAA!!"

Sonic's initial reaction was to leap up into the air with a howl of shock, as though that silent stare was a discharging death-ray – once he'd gotten it out of his system, however, the hedgehog noticed a highly salient fact. Rather than making an attempt to grab the hedgehog in that extendable claw of 'his', The Speed Bot was _rolling 'his' eyes_. Literally. The two lenses of purple crystal actually rotated backwards in the sockets they occupied.

Sonic sat completely still, staring at the great cat in complete disbelief as he struggled to get his head around this whole situation. When it finally sank in that this was actually happening, a puzzled and yet genuine smile spread across the hedgehog's muzzle. "_Hey_…you just saved my life!" he exclaimed, "_Twice_! Ya know, I never figured I'd ever say this ta' one of Robuttnik's machines." As the hedgehog spoke, he reached out to pet the unexpected savior. "But, hey, props where props are…"

The display of gratitude proceeded no further – as the hedgehog's paw came toward 'him', The Speed Bot dipped 'his' neck.

And as that smooth back arched beneath his rear, Sonic found himself pitching forward. "_Hey_…oof!!" was all the hedgehog had the opportunity to say before he found himself rolling face-first across the cracked and bumpy ground. Clambering onto one knee, Sonic gave The Speed Bot a squinting glare as he gingerly rubbed his head. "Hey man, uh, _Bot_! Did ya do that on purpose?" he demanded in a particularly growling voice – the silent glint that passed through the purple eyes reminded him of the smug look Sally would always inevitably display whenever he said or did something stupid. "Ask a dumb question…" he grunted, wincing as his paw encountered a lump roughly the size and shape of a duck's egg. His eyes widened as he was struck by something much less physical though no less significant – in a split-second, the hedgehog was back on his feet. "_Woah_! Say, hang loose for a sec! I gotta check on somethin'! Be right back!"

It felt as though the hedgehog's renewed headache fell away as he turned and charged up the side of one of the mounds that marked the threshold of The Dumping Zone – coming to a halt, standing like a sentry posted upon a high parapet, Sonic allowed his eyes to sweep across the vast stretch of undesirable artifacts. In less than a minute, he successfully located the source of the sound he'd heard as he had fallen.

The exceedingly large pile that once stood in the middle of The Dumping Zone now lay scattered across the ground, rather like a gelatin dessert kicked to pieces by a careless foot – the dust rising in thick clouds from the obliterated mound indicated that this disaster had transpired mere moments ago.

As his eyes feasted upon this awesome spectacle, Sonic stood basking in triumph; somewhere beneath that twisted mass of rusted metal , Lieutenant Omega lay buried. "Hey, SWATbutt…welcome ta' the scrap-yard of life! Enjoy ya stay, compliments of The Knothole Freedom Fighters!" the hedgehog called as he turned and started to retrace his smoking-hot steps, "Me? I gotta juice! So I guess I'll just see ya…though I definitely wouldn't wanna _be_ ya!"

As he returned to terra firma, Sonic was elated to see two very familiar figures running toward him – Rotor was the first to rejoin the waiting hedgehog, his eyes shining with eagerness. "Sonic…that was absolutely incredible!" the whisker-faced mechanic blurted, the very instant he was standing in front of the hedgehog. "The two of you just…just…_just took him down_! Seriously, I'll remember that _forever_!"

Sonic gave a smirk followed by a bow before he could be drowned by his friend's gushing praise. "Thank you, Rote, _thank you_." He drawled with all the modesty which had for some reason caused Sally to fold her arms and mutter "Oh _brother_…" more times than he could remember over the years. "Always cool ta' be appreciated."

It was at this moment that Antoine came puffing and panting onto the scene – as his gaze rested on Sonic, he stopped short. "Mon _diue_!" exclaimed the coyote, his paws flying to his gawping mouth as he stared wide-eyed at the hedgehog's wounded forehead. "Soneek Edgeog! It is an most aggrieved injury you be sporting!"

Sonic smirked as he reached up to touch the throbbing wound, "Aw, it ain't nothin' ta' worry about, Ant." The involuntary flinch tht he gave as his fingertips brushed fleetingly against the injury was less than convincing.

Antoine's response was unexpected to say the least – Sonic could only stare blankly as the coyote began to shrug off the sleeves of his navy-blue guardsman uniform. What _was_ this? Antoine was taking off his uniform! What on all Mobius _was _this?

As he looked at the uniform that he had doffed and held now in his paws, Antoine felt his lower lip quiver – this garment passed down to him by his father had been the thing he'd cherished most since the day of The Coup. And what he now contemplated doing to it seemed like sacrilege. Even as he felt himself buckling, however, he reminded himself that Sonic had been injured as a direct result of having heroically covered the escape of he and Rotor. And as that thought resonated in his mind, the coyote jutted out that lower lip…and got down to it. Despite the grimness of his resolve, Antoine could feel heat prickle at the back of his eyeballs as he slowly and carefully tore off the rich red trimming – pausing only to further deface it by removing the row of well-polished brass buttons, the coyote silently offered the long strip of material to his comrade.

Sonic had no idea what to say other than, "Hey thanks, Ant!" as he tied the shredded piece of material firmly around his wound, knotting it in place like a headband. After all the years he and the coyote had spent at each others' throats, the hedgehog thought that he really should feel awkward in the face of Antoine's concern – yet when he came down to it, he found that he was sincerely moved by this moment of pure friendship. At a loss, Sonic turned a speculative eye upon The Speed Bot 'who' stood silent and still. "So, Rote…I guess I wouldn't be wrong ta' think that'cha had a paw in this far-out team-up, huh?"

Rotor's blubbery cheeks puffed out as he grinned proudly at the mechanical speedster, "Aw, it really wasn't that big of a deal." He replied with such genuine modesty that Sonic wanted to shake him in exasperation, "His shell was in perfect condition so all I had to do was give him a jumpstart and voila; he was up and running again! As for how I convinced him to help, well, that was even easier; I just happened to let slip the fact that his chances for a rematch with you and _your_ chances of _survival_ were one and the same. Yep…that about did it!"

Antoine bestowed a watery smile upon The Speed Bot as he slipped back into his now mutilated uniform, "Merci, Monsieur! I is haveeng zee leetle treat for you!" the coyote exclaimed, holding his paw out to the golden robot – in the palm nestled a particularly oily nut-and-bolt. "Bon Apatite!

The Speed Bot exchanged looks with Sonic – the hedgehog got the impression that the great cat would have raised its eyebrows, had it been endowed with a pair.

"But seriously, Rote…" Sonic fought to keep a straight face as he frowned sternly at the walrus - past his two comrades, the hedgehog could see a shape standing in the near-distance; the wooden cart that they had brought with them from Knothole, The Roboticizer's loose wires and cables dangling limply from its sides like the lifeless tentacles of some slain sea-monster. "…how come ya didn't sashay outta here like I told'ja? Ya coulda' died, ya know!"

Rather than sagging with guilt, Rotor's cheeks rose as he returned the hedgehog's severe look with a knowing smirk. "Why, Sonic!" drawled the walrus, his tone distinctly ribbing. "If I didn't know better then I'd say that you turned into a responsible adult in your sleep last night!"

Sonic's frown melted into a rueful smile as he shook his head slowly, "Rote, ol' bud…you've really got that Sal impersonation down ta' perfection." The expression on the hedgehog's face froze as the contents of his stomach seemed to turn to water, "Oh man…_Sal_!" he gasped, not even flinching as his right paw slapped impulsively against his bandaged forehead. "Why am I standin' here, shootin' the breeze with you guys while Sal and the others are in mondo trouble?!"

"_Whaaat_?!" Antoine's eyeballs popped out so far that they may have landed in the palm of Sonic's left paw. "Bunnee is in…" the coyote began to bark only to cough and correct himself, now sounding as though a frog had jumped down his throat. "I mean, Zee Princess is in zee big danger?! We must be by her sides right away!"

At any other time, Sonic would've noticed at once that Antoine's mind had flown immediately to Bunnie rather than 'His Princess' – at that moment in time, however, the hedgehog's own mind was wracked with torment as he envisaged the countless horrific fates that might have befallen the one he loved while he'd been screwing and playing 'hero'. As the hedgehog's breath squeezed between his teeth with a steam-like hiss, Rotor and Antoine actually lowered their arms to the sides of their bodies as if standing to attention. To his comrades, Sonic appeared as the battle-ravaged warrior he truly was. Even The Speed Bot suddenly appeared attentive, as though chilled by those blazing eyes. "Ant's right." The hedgehog's voice was deeper than either the walrus or the coyote had ever heard it, "Bunnie, Tails, Sally…they need us. And…" the hedgehog bit his lower lip before continuing forcefully, "…and _we_ need _them_! Let's go find the fight! We all go home or nobody goes home! _Freedom Fighters Forever_!"

Sonic extended his blood-stained fist – moved by the spirit emanating like a burning aura from their leader's body, Rotor and Antoine pressed their own knuckles against the hedgehog's.

"_Yeah_!! _Freedom Fighters __Rule_!!"

The Speed Bot watched these proceedings with interest, the end of 'his' long tail curling and unfurling in order to swat a particularly overbearing fly – 'he' perceived that a new adventure lay just over the horizon.

* * *

"Your Highness. Great honour does your jewel-like presence bring this unworthy citadel."

The hospitable aura that Naugus intended to project was diluted to a great degree by the unnerving sharpness of his teeth as he bared them in a broad smile – rather than a warmly welcoming host, he appeared a predatory beast as he gazed down on the four cornered Mobians. His tone, however, did succeed in sounding pleasantly courtly as he hailed the most distinguished of his 'guests'. That the sorcerer's principal concern in life happened to be absolute dominion over all things upon this planet, living or otherwise, did not mean that he had no appreciation for things of pure and simple beauty.

"And yet under such circumstances!" a look of grievous sorrow, the hurt of a soul who had been dealt a deep and undeserved wound, creased the face of Naugus. "That you should have come intending to steal The Roboticizer! Oh _Princess_!" he tutted with apparently deep reproach as would an aged patriarch before whom a wayward child had been brought, "Did it really never occur to you to _ask_?"

Ari glared up at the vile sorcerer in helpless silence, his muscle-bound arms pinioned by a duo of SWATbots – the helmet that he had recently worn now lay on the ground like an overly large fruit-bowl. _I never did trust this wily old coot…_ His eyes were grim as he stood, powerless to intervene, waiting to discover what fresh horror Naugus would unleash upon The Freedom Fighters.

As he listened to the sorcerer speak to his Aunt in that wheedling voice, Tails felt his stomach churn…though not purely from disgust. So…this warped creature was Ixis Naugus. Of course Tails had heard all about the sorcerer whose powerful magic, devilish cunning and whimsical cruelty had enabled him to seize the bitter throne of power…as well as made him the most unpredictable and dangerous enemy The Freedom Fighters had ever faced. The lesson now reinforced upon Tails' mind, however, was that listening in rapt awe whenever Sonic reminisced about his past encounters with Naugus was a completely different experience from actually meeting Naugus face-to-face – it was kind of like the stories that Aunt Sally read to him when he was tucked up in bed, safe and sound. Though they'd made him shiver during the exciting parts and gasp during the scary parts, Tails realised that the evil of the warlocks and witches who lived only on the pages of his books paled before the reality that he now faced…the reality of Naugus who was a living breathing dark sorcerer. The reality of evil would always be far more frightening than any story. That was what Tails had learned for the very first time on the day those SWATbots had captured him. And the fear that he felt as he looked up at the evil creature whose power his Aunts, Ari and he himself were all now in was very real indeed. Tails clenched his fists tightly, as though by doing so he could drive back the fear he felt wrapping around him like a dark and insidious snake. The fox-cub couldn't let himself surrender to it – if he gave in then he would be admitting that he had no right to be a Freedom Fighter. That Sally was right to try to protect him from the world…

Tails wracked his mind as he focused every ounce of will-power he could muster on keeping the fear locked inside of him. Here he now found himself, locked in a predicament that Sonic had faced dozens if not hundreds of times during the war as he faced an enemy who was holding all of the cards. And just how had his hedgehog hero always reacted to these standoffs? _Hmm…this would be a real bad time for me to make a real bad __joke__, huh?_ Before he knew it, he had proceeded to open his mouth and make one. "Hey, this must be where _The Ugly Club _is holding its meeting today!" exclaimed the fox-cub loudly, "Shame I let my subscription lapse!"

Bunnie barely suppressed her giggle as she punched him lightly on the arm, "Good 'un, Sugah." She murmured, in her warm green eyes a twinkle that somehow made the situation seem not quite so overwhelming. "Now shush!"

Distaste filled the eyes of Naugus as they flicked toward the jesting fox-cub. There were a great many things which the sorcerer held in low regard, three of which were perpetual as well as immense sources of annoyance for him. The first of which was people with little respect for their elders. The second was people who made an irksome habit of speaking out of turn. And the dislikeable qualities of the first two were both united in the third, the thing that infuriated him most of all…_little children_.

The look of cold and withering scorn that he had intended to bestow upon Tails was, however, never seen. Instead Naugus' sharp eyes remained fixed upon the cub, slowly narrowing into fine slits…drawn inexorably toward the pair of bright and healthy-looking appendages which stuck out, in both senses of the phrase, behind the fox who had dared to show such insolence toward him. _This…__child__. Could it be that he is one of the legendary...?_ For a moment those almond-shaped eyes went wide before their owner tightened the leash of the wonder he felt – they appraised the cub who stood far below as though his very existence was the key to one, or perhaps even all, of the secrets of the universe. _Ah__...__such__ a marvelous creature! That it should be preceded by the reawakening of long forgotten memories and the springing to life of ancient myth…surely my ascension is written in the stars! _The sorcerer's gaze switched from Tails to Bunnie as her faint sound of mirth disrupted his inner meditation – and as he recognised the rabbit, his expression turned from one of wonderment to one of sourness. Only too clearly did his eyes reflect the sheer disgust that filled him as he gazed upon this pitiful wretch – the mere sight of the partly roboticized rabbit had always brought to an old memory to the of the sorcerer's mind. That of a strange creature which may or may not have existed many years ago and yet he had come upon the mention of during the many years he had spent studying this planet's history. Half beauty and half monstrosity…the Snakewoman. As far as Naugus was concerned, the rabbit was the most perfect example of all that had gone so disgustingly wrong with this world during his ten year exile, of the depravity that had spread like a poison during Robotnik's reign. An error that would finally be corrected, a depravity which was to be purified, a poison drawn…come the hour in which the sorcerer set into motion his master-plan.

Sally shot Tails a look – though utterly silent, it was stern enough to instantly hush the fox-cub. This situated called not for bold bravado but for level-headed reasoning and diplomacy. And as the leader here, that burden fell upon her shoulders. "Naugus." No longer could even the faintest hint of anger or hysteria be heard in her voice as she hailed their captor, her demeanour one of great courtesy and near-divine calm. "There is a request that I wish to make of you. A personal request."

Naugus returned his attention to Sally, that snowy beard swishing as he turned his flat head toward her. "Then I shall most certainly hear it. Providing that you will afterwards permit me to make a personal _response_!" The sorcerer answered banteringly, appearing to forget his supposed disappointment with The Princess in the blink of an eye. "For the present my ears are yours, Noble Scion of the Acorn Dynasty!"

Sally's paws were planted steadily upon her hips as she stepped toward the northern building, apparently without fear of the dozen rifles aim straight at her back - Robotnik's fists were clenched, his vast shoulders quivering like a great mass of frogspawn left out in a raging hurricane as he was left standing there like an unneeded manservant whose master had forgotten to dismiss him. The knowledge that he had just been saved by the one whom he so despised, the dismissive manner with which The Princess had turned her back on him, both raged within his dark heart like a crimson maelstrom. _One day…_ This thought The Doctor repeated over and over in his mind, an endless silent chant to keep him anchored to his sanity. _…one day __soon_

Sally took a deep breath as she stood before the building – the outcome of her attempt to reason with the sorcerer was the only thing that mattered now. "Those who have accompanied me here…I beseech you to allow them to go free." The Squirrel Princess addressed the sorcerer, not as a captured foe pleading shamelessly for her own life but as an equal. And as Tails watched her in awe, it seemed as though she had grown. Or maybe it was just that the antagonistic SWATbots and even the hulking Robotnik seemed to _shrink_ as Sally spoke, her clear voice ringing with regal authority. "I swear on the memory of my noble forbearers that, should you grant this request, I will go willingly to whatever fate you choose for me."

Bunnie's sole gasp of horror carried across the court with shocking clarity, "Sally Girl…what in the world d' ya'll think ya'll are doin'?" she cried, making a movement toward the squirrel.

Tails was already ahead of her, his eyes like bright-blue saucers. "Aunt Sally!" he exclaimed as he reached out to grab her paw, turn her around to face him.

Neither of them reached her. Sally did not speak nor even glance back at either the rabbit or the fox – the arm she held out, the silent and forbidding gesture she made, was enough to instantly quench their attempts to interfere with her solution to this predicament

As he scratched his bearded chin with a gloved finger, Naugus appeared contemplate the proposal which The Princess had just submitted. "Hmm…a proudly uttered request, Princess." And just the hint of a smirk crept across his face, "I hope that you will forgive me for being so churlish enough to inquire as to just why I should acquiesce. For you are already surrounded by a great and formidable host, are you not?"

Sally had known that this question would be raised and so she had her answer readily prepared, "It is one thing to beat one's enemies into the dust and another to force those same enemies to bend upon their knees." She answered matter-of-factly, "Or in other words, our bones may be broken and yet our spirits will not be so easily overwhelmed. Naugus, hear me out. Bunnie has been my friend since childhood – I feel so close to her that I hope I may call her my sister. Ari too is my friend; a Freedom Fighter, brave and true, who has already suffered greatly. And as for the child…" now her voice came dangerously near to trembling – with an effort she reigned in her emotions, sternly reminding herself that all would be lost if she showed the tiniest hint of weakness. It took every ounce of self-control she possessed in order to keep herself from looking over her shoulder at Tails, from trying to reassure him with her eyes alone that everything was going to be all right. "Enough. Just…don't hurt any of them." As her voice grew taut and brittle, she decided that it was time to deploy her secret weapon. "Let my friends go and within mere months you will have succeeded where, for ten years, _Robotnik_ constantly failed." The Princess could _feel_ them as she uttered these words; those crimson pupils, like burning flames trapped behind windows of glass, caressing the back of her head. Robotnik's implacable stare was completely silent yet no less deadly as she received of it. "I will give you my complete and utter surrender."

_Oh, Sally Girl… _Bunnie thought, the bionic belle's heart soaring out to The Princess whose calm voice rang with heartbreaking turmoil. _It's so wonderful what ya'll are willin' t' do for us…but ya'll should know by now that we'll never __let__ ya'll do it. We stick together thru thick n' thru thin, always have n' always will…Freedom Fighters, one n' all!_

Naugus' narrowed eyes masked whatever thoughts were his as he stared down at The Princess – Sally expected him either to flatly refuse her request or attempt to add a few stipulations of his own to the mix. What she most certainly hadn't expected was the broad smile that suddenly spread across his face. _So…Her Highness' will is strong. And yet…she has her __weakness._ "You argue more persuasively than an army of diplomats, Princess." the sorcerer chuckled, running that claw up and down the length of his beard. "As I have said before and now say again, yours is an extraordinarily fine mind. But I crave your indulgence…for I simply must inquire after my lackey's beloved nephew. Tell me…" and here he paused to give a quiet and venomous laugh, "…just where has my old co-conspirator gotten himself to? For was he not in your company when he departed from my domain?"

Tails shot a look over his shoulder – he never did know why he felt compelled to do so. All the same, he was and so he did – this was why he alone out of the four from Knothole saw Robotnik's immediate reaction to the mention of Snively.

The human's cybernetic hand had hung limply beside his vast hip, both his wide shoulders having slumped as though every last spark of energy within them had fizzled out at the moment of Naugus' dramatic appearance – at the precise moment Snively was mentioned, however, the fist clenched as if under its own power. And to all appearances, the metallic digits began to slowly squeeze a scrawny and invisible throat…

Tails shuddered and whipped his eyes away from the demonic man, a chill racing down his spine.

Sally's eyes had narrowed into a steady glare as this incredibly touchy subject had been raised so cavalierly. Conversing with the sorcerer was alike to peeling an onion – the more layers she passed, the more unpleasant became the experience. "Snively survived, if that's what you wish to know – at present, he lives with us in Knothole." The Princess answered flatly.

"_Does_ he?" Naugus' voice reflected a surprise the honesty of which was, as ever, impossible to truly gauge – he was, after all, the prince of lies. "Does he _indeed_? And how, pray-tell, has dear Snively taken to life in the great outdoors?"

Sally was getting to really dislike him, "He has thrived now that he is free from certain influences, which had contaminated his life just as they continue to contaminate ours." In spite of the dignity with which she spoke, the words sounded hollow even to her own ears - it was probably all for the best that she did not happen to glance at Tails' face as she uttered them.

"And yet…" Naugus' tone was now smooth with polite sarcasm, "…I cannot help but observe that he is presently conspicuous by his absence. Does he not perhaps care to brave the same dangers as his gracious benefactors?"

Sally breathed deeply, "Snively remains behind in Knothole because that is where his gifts aid us the most. In any case, I would not ask him to endanger himself on our behalf." she snapped, her voice becoming harder and colder with each syllable.

_Balderdash. _Like a generous glob of clay, Robotnik's face had contorted slowly into a sneer of contempt as he'd listened to The Princess' pretty little speech. _Hog__wash. _C_ertain though I am that you would like to believe that so, I am far more certain that you actually ensure to keep him within the boundaries of that festering rat-hole in the middle of the woods so that he won't have the opportunity to put a knife between your shoulders while you are here. As I know that he eventually __would__ have done…had he not been spared the treachery. _Those hulking shoulders began to rock with laughter – silent laughter yet genuine vindictive laughter nonetheless. _Now I wonder…did you extend your hand to him knowing that he would one day sink his teeth into it?_ His own teeth were bared in a grin of derision, one to which he was so accustomed that it felt just as natural as drawing breath…or slapping Snively for daring to do so in his presence. _Or do you, in your ridiculously over-inflated piety, actually believe that you have the power to…__change him? _

Naugus' elongated smirk seemed to suggest that, for once in a way, the sorcerer was in full accord with his lackey. "And _your_ _father_, Princess?" he inquired, his rasping voice now as soft as it could be. "Do tell me of how my old friend has fared since last he and I met!"

_My father… _For the briefest moment, the mask of emotionless diplomacy slipped from Sally's face. In her eyes there gathered a storm so great and terrible that the sorcerer would have been swept from his perch in an instant, had it been literal. _I can't believe he's talking about my father…after what he did!_ The Princess felt a deep and piercing stab of fury as she was reminded of how the sorcerer's twisted machinations had very nearly cost her father his life – it made her flesh crawl that Naugus should have the gall to speak so lightly to her, as though her father had not come so very close to paying the ultimate price for the sorcerer's rise to power. _After what he __did!_"My father is well, both in body and in spirit." Sally replied – the emotions locked within the squirrel were reigned in so tightly that her voice sounded flat, a stark contrast to the roaring waves of anger crashing relentlessly against a cliff of supreme self-control.

"And great gladness does it bring me to hear you say so." Naugus sighed as though the knowledge truly was an immense relief to him, "How much easier to bear did your father's companionship make my many years of exile!" reflecting briefly upon those good old times, the sorcerer gave a creaking chuckle. "Even if I really must say that he was always _quite_ the ninny when it came to chess!"

Sally's crystal-blue eyes flashed in the face of this casual mockery. "My father was never one for such games, Naugus." She responded frostily, "His true strength is measured in his determination to defend his people, not by any lust for dominion."

Naugus emitted a great snort at this, "That which you mistake for compassion is merely a lack of _strength_, Princess." He sneered scornfully, "Strength which _I _most certainly do not lack. _Yes_…I am he who wields the power to move the earth, the iron will to bend it to his desire and sculpt it in accordance to his blinding vision." At this, the sorcerer raised his scorpion-like claw solemnly into the air – the twin pincers made a sickening sound as they slowly closed, straining against the synthetic material which encased them both. "By the claw of Naugus shall the future of Mobius be shaped and formed!"

"_That claw _is right." Tails muttered to Bunnie, eyeing the sorcerer's claw and horned head in turn – come to think of it, hadn't Sonic mentioned that he also had a _tail_? "I mean…what's he supposed to _be_ anyway??"

"I weary of these digressions." Slowly Naugus lowered the claw of symbolism – when he spoke again, his manner had become suddenly businesslike. "Princess…I have considered your request and now will give you my decision." Sally held her breath, half convinced that her heart would burst as she waited to learn whether she had succeeded or failed. The Princess hoped that she would be allowed a moment in which to hug Bunnie and Tails goodbye, partly because that would be her only chance to secretly pass Nicole to one of them…and partly because she would never see either of them ever again. "As you desire, The Freedom Fighters shall be allowed to depart from my domain, without fetter or hindrance…and with their Princess to lead them."

Sally was unable to hold back the look of surprise that flitted across her face – she had known an appeal to the ego of the sorcerer had been her best chance but not for a second had she dared to hope for so great a result. "You…mean it?" she asked slowly – though she knew that ideally she ought to both look and sound grateful, The Princess could muster only blankness.

The smile of benignity that Naugus had assumed was belied by the sheer coldness which glimmered in his eyes, "I tend to mean that which I say, Princess." He replied in a lofty tone."Yes…you and your companions are free to go forth from this place." M_ore or __less..._ Suddenly the focus of those chilling eyes was no longer Sally but _Tails_. "On the trifling condition that you leave _this_ _child_…to _me_."

Robotnik felt a positive certainty that the words uttered by Naugus just then had in fact been distorted by the echo of an explosion over at the dig – The Doctor simply could not believe that he had heard correct. _The Princess is offering herself freely to him. All that he must do is reach out to claim her and in that moment he will have gained the ultimate leverage against Maximillian Acorn, the power to crush the spirits of The Freedom Fighters and also __surpass me__ once and for all. And he's willing to let all of this slip away… _The rotund human's eyes were narrowed into slits of suspicion as he craned his neck, all the better to appraise the fox-cub who was the bone of this fresh contention. _…in exchange for __that__?! Has his mind finally snapped like a dry twig beneath the weight of inevitable senility… _Raising a single finger to his chin, he began to stroke it contemplatively. _…or could it be that there is more to this insufferable brat than meets the eye?_

As the sorcerer stared down at him, Tails realised with surprise that he could neither move an inch nor speak a word – something about that smile just made the fox-cub turn cold from within, as though some kind of power that it exerted upon him had caused every muscle in his body to seize up and his tongue grow so thick that it filled his entire mouth. But as he finally grasped what he'd just heard, Tails realised that it wasn't some spell of the sorcerer's that had frozen him – the thing that now trapped his voice inside him, that held him like invisible chains, was in fact pure and overwhelming terror. It was that grinning mouthful of teeth that turned his blood to ice – separated from him though they were by the height of that building, the fox-cub could almost feel those razor-sharp points being buried into his flesh.

_What...what's he going to __do__ to me?_

With a jolt which felt worse than whiplash, Tails realised that Sally and Bunnie were both staring at him – and as he realised just how he must look in their eyes, a stinging mortification grappled with the fear. He had to be strong, had to be brave - he had to act exactly as Sonic would were the hedgehog in his shoes right now. "Sally...it's okay." He told The Princess - his voice was as dry as one of the piles of crunchy dead leaves he always dived into during autumn, slightly taking the edge off his attempt to sound fearless. "I'll be fine. The Freedom Fighters can't afford to lose you…"

Sally shook her head once, briefly and dismissively – with that, she turned from the fox-cub as though he hadn't spoken. _He's saying that he'll let us go…if we give him __Tails?_ As her mind rippled like a sea of confusion, one thought alone rose to shine bright and clear above the surface. _Well…he's not going to __get__ him!_ "No, Naugus." That brief glance at Tails who had looked so harmless and small, so _scared_, had felt like a dagger thrust into her heart – as she tore her eyes from him, the dagger was torn free and anger flowed forth like blood from an open wound._ He actually __thinks__ that I would…?! _"No."

Tails opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish which had tried to leap out of its bowl and into a larger one, its attempt to join the big fish foiled as it found itself flopping uselessly around on the floor – as the fox-cub struggled for words with which to contribute toward this situation, which after all _was _about _him_, he felt a paw upon his shoulder. Looking up, he met the firm and no-nonsense stare of Bunnie – though she breathed not a word, the intended meaning of that look was as clear as her emerald eyes; 'Grownup business, Sugah. Ya'll keep quiet while we take care of it, now.'

With a dark scowl, Tails closed his mouth firmly.

Naugus' eyes had widened in apparent astonishment, "No?" he now repeated as though he could not believe that she could really mean what she had said – in reality of course he had known perfectly well that The Princess would respond with a flat refusal, just as had known that the arrival of this very day would be marked by the rising of the sun. It merely amused the sorcerer to watch as this trite scenario played out in all its tedious predictability, influencing the ultimate denouement of this act in not slightest way. _Her Highness' petty whims concern me not…willing or no, The Princess __shall __render this impudent whelp unto me. As I decide, so shall it be._ "No? Princess…you would allow a sentimental attachment to the very least of your subjects to jeopardise your own pretty neck?"

There was utter contempt in Sally's eyes as, regardless of their respective positions, she spoke down to the sorcerer. "I will never abandon Tails – not to you, not to anyone. Not to save myself nor for any other reason, selfish or selfless." her voice was as uncompromising as her eyes where cold, "It is true irony that you should boast of supreme vision…yet are supremely _blind_."

Naugus's eyes narrowed as the sorcerer went from theatrical surprise to genuine affront in a heartbeat – and the expression now upon his face strongly reminded Tails of an anaconda with serious stomach-ache resulting from copious rodent gorging. "_Blind_, Princess?" he inquired in a soft rasping hiss which underlined the serpentine likeness perfectly, "Do these old ears hear aright? For if they _do_, then please…_enlighten_ _me_."

Sally folded her arms across her chest – so intense was her gaze that it might well have scorched the eyes of the sorcerer to mere ash as he met it. "You may indeed wield more power than we can ever dream of. But we have something that not even your magic is powerful enough to steal or replicate. It is a thing that you can never hope to understand let alone destroy, even if you should live for a thousand years. And as long as we live by this thing, you will have no power over us!"

Bunnie felt an surge of pride as she stood with her paw on Tails' shoulder, listening to her friend give that tricky old cuss what for (as she'd personally have described it) – yet the rabbit sensed that the storm-clouds were now about to burst. And little could she have realised just how appropriate that particular metaphor would prove to have been…

Naugus' fleshy lips were drawn back over his teeth and suddenly there seemed to be not hundreds but thousands of them, every one as sharp as a knife fresh from the whetstone. It was as though each and every word that Sally had just uttered had been a long sharp needle, piercing his face – not so much as a trace of malignant glee remained, having seeped away like pus from an open abscess, as his visage filled instead with a dark and deadly rage. Never before had any who were present beheld a face of such concentrated fury – even Robotnik took a step back, aghast, from it. It was a wrath like a great and terrible storm about to break, ominous in its deadly calm.

Of course, the sorcerer knew the answer to Sally's riddle – and it was so ridiculous, so beneath him, that he could have dismissed with a scathing laugh. And he would have done, had she not dared to imply that his power was as nothing in comparison to it. Yet she had…and so he could not. When next he spoke, the sorcerer's voice sounded colder than the bitterest winter gale. "You may consider my acceptance of your proposal withdrawn, Princess. My generosity comes not from a well which never runs dry - unlike the power that you have so injudiciously scorned. A short sharp lesson may be in order here, I think – you shall learn the benefits of docility, Princess." A cruel grin split that hideous face as it visibly set in gathering concentration, "Oh yes, _you shall learn_…and I shall be your tutor."

With these words the sorcerer threw forth his arms, as though reaching out to snatch the whole world up in an unreciprocated embrace – and as an ominously deep growl rumbled across the sky, The Freedom Fighters wished suddenly that they had remained in Knothole that day. If day it indeed still was – billowing clouds of impenetrable darkness were now gathering high overhead, making it exceedingly difficult to tell. As the court was slowly swallowed by the vast shadow, Sally felt an involuntary shiver. It was a shiver that had nothing to do with the unshakeable chill in the air. A shiver of foreboding. The mere sight of the changing sky made The Princess feel sick with dread – could the sorcerer truly be powerful enough to command the elements? She was not forced to wait long for the answer…

As the black clouds answered to his silent summons, Naugus raised his hand, the palm turned upward. And in response to the commanding gesture, the amassed shadows began to change shape. Bending slowly apart, as though sculpted by a pair of gigantic invisible hands, they came to form a ring of darkness; a vast and yawning shaft which yielded the anxious pallor of the sky above. As though the same artistic hands now paused to smooth over the rougher edges of their work, the sides of the unnatural phenomena slowly ceased to ripple. It appeared, for all of Mobius, as though the sky had turned as black as sack-cloth before being cracked open…to reveal absolute oblivion in all of its bleak grey nothingness.

"Oh mah stars…" Bunnie breathed softly, her velvet voice as near as it could have come to a whisper. "…have ya'll evah' seen such a far-fangled thing?"

Within the vast circle of grey, a single pinprick of light began to glisten. It was followed closely by a second, which led the way for a third which superseded a great many more. It looked as though the stars had prematurely rushed out to fill the sky, mistaking the gathering of the dark clouds for the coming of night - now they fell to earth, as though surprised by the presence of the immense grey hole awaiting them.

As one of them landed on Tails' nose, the fox-cub realised what they actually were…raindrops. A storm was brewing. Deeply unsettled though he felt, Tails remained determined not to let it show. "Is this supposed to dampen our spirits?" he remarked, feeling proud of this particular quip – he was really getting the hang of this whole laughing-in-the-face-of-evil thing now.

The touch of each and every falling raindrop felt bitter as it was icy to The Freedom Fighters. For so long had they relied upon the rainfall to help nurture the vegetables painstakingly grown in order to keep their bellies filled in wintertime and to keep the riverbanks bountifully filled in summertime – and so it felt like a betrayal as that natural wonder forsook them without a moment's hesitation, abandoned them all in order to answer the call of the sorcerer. What struck Sally as most uncanny about this sudden rainfall was that it appeared entirely contained within the boundaries of the court…

As it howled like a soul condemned to endure an eternity of inconsolable grief, the wind caught at Naugus' cloak as though striving to tear it from his shoulders – as the garment was spread wide, rippling like a great and boneless pair of batwings, the sorcerer's malediction boomed out across the sky;

"_As shadows roll across the heavens,_

_As day turns to darkest night,_

_Let all look to the sky and know despair everlasting!_

_O Divine War Hammers, _

_Hearken to my call!_

_Descend from the sky I have set asunder,_

_Let these upstarts cower as they learn what it means to evoke the almighty wrath of The Gods!"_

As she held her dampened locks out of her face, Sally looked over her shoulder – and as she saw the rising tension in Bunnie and Tails' respective eyes, she smiled pensively. "I…don't think that I like the sound of that." At least…that was what she tried to say. Whether or not the words actually left her mouth she never knew – for it was at this moment that her ears were filled with a sound. A sound so acutely loud that, ludicrous as the concept would have sounded if she'd tried to put it into words, she practically didn't hear it. The best description which could have been applied was that this sound was negated by its own echo, as though the two swallowed each other whole…leaving nought but a ringing in the squirrel's ears. Sally watched as stunned shock spread across her friends' faces…before both were engulfed by the flash of blinding light that rushed past her. As she stood stock still, Sally felt a wave of burning heat wash over the front of her body, turning every strand of fur on her body tingly…not to mention frizzy.

Slowly, very slowly, Sally turned her head forward again - she stared blankly at the wide hole which had appeared right in front of her, a charred and smoking parting-gift courtesy of the thunderbolt that had struck whilst she'd spoken to her comrades. And as her mind fought to get to grips with what she saw, a coarse cackle floated down from the northern building;

"_Dance my pretty_…_dance_!"

Cognisance flooding back into her eyes, Sally shot her comrades another look – as she did so, she screamed; "_Scatter_!" And as that single word rang out clearly, she threw herself back…barely avoiding the second thunderbolt called upon to strike her down!

Neither Bunnie nor Tails needed to be told twice. Indeed, the rabbit impulsively covered her robotic arm with its organic counterpart as she turned and began to run – though she knew that it wouldn't make the blindest bit of difference, she felt a cringe run through her in response to the mere thought of any of her cybernetic limbs being struck by thunder. An instinctive fear the searing bolt that missed her graceful back by mere inches did little to dismiss.

Naugus' asthma-ridden giggle sounded again, an eerie accompaniment to the growling thunderclouds - as he swept his hand toward the rabbit in an extravagant gesture, he looked strikingly like the eccentric composer of a (quite literally as it happened) thunderous orchestra.

"_Run rabbit_,

_Run rabbit_,

_Run-run-__run_!"

As he charged across the ground with fists clenched, Tails couldn't resist the opportunity to call out; "Hey Bunnie, I think I just figured out the reason this guy decided to become a sorcerer!"

As she threw her body sideward, narrowly avoiding instant incineration, Bunnie raised both eyebrows. "Why's that, Sugah?"

"Cuz he'd have made one heck of a crappy singer!"

Though she did not cease to run for even a second, Bunnie found herself smirking. "Oh ya'll are a card, Darlin'…a real hoot! An' ya'll also be one _crispy crittah_', 'less ya'll mind stays focused on the danger at hand!" she reprimanded him as she prepared to dodge again.

The point was brought home to Tails as an especially sizzling bolt struck the ground directly behind him. The fox-cub leapt almost eight feet up into the air with a yelp of shock amid a shower of charred concrete chunks. Another croaking cachinnation resounded from Naugus' lofty perch;

"_Good little children are seen and not heard_…_whereas __bad__ little children, __if__ seen, are __hurt__!"_

By no conceivable stretch of imagination could it have been said that The Freedom Fighters were not in an exceptionally tight spot. In the sights of twelve armed and trigger-ready SWATbots, the trio were unable to do anything more than run and dodge in an endless repetitive dance to avoid being struck by the seemingly endless thunderbolts.

As he watched the three run in circles and dive through the air in their efforts to escape the thunder, overcome with desperation just like the mere animals he had always known them to be, there was a profoundly ill-natured grin on Robotnik's face. _Oh this is too perfect… _It was surely only a matter of time before one of tormented Freedom Fighters fell prey either to the endless thunder…or to the urge to bolt, to make a fruitless attempt to break through the motionless SWATbots. _…just __too perfect!_ A death-sentence in either case, Robotnik acknowledged silently. The question that held particular for him was just which of these two possible fates The Freedom Fighters would ultimately choose. As far as they themselves were concerned, the outcome would be precisely the same…dead, after all, was dead. From the perspective of Doctor Robotnik, on the other hand, the difference would be immense. After all the years of having been forced to suffer their constant defiance and aggravation, endure frustration upon frustration and failure after failure, it would be immensely satisfying to watch as The Freedom Fighters were brought down by the ruthless laser-fire of _his_ SWATbots. _Come now, little Freedom Fighters…snap! Crumble! _The mere prospect of looking down on the body of The Princess as it lay on the ground, like an exquisite butterfly smashed by a single sweep of a powerful hand, was so sweet that he could taste it already. _Give in to every one of those natural instincts screaming away all at once inside of you and __run! _And its taste was that of Ambrosia, the very nectar of the Gods themselves. _Run straight to your __doom!_

"No…"

Forced to watch as his comrades came closer and closer to death, Ari might have struggled in vain against his captors' iron-like grasps - he might have bellowed resounding curses, expletives so worldly that under any other circumstances, Sally and Bunnie would each have clasped a of paw over one of Tails' pointed ears. The ram could have given his hated enemies the pleasure of seeing him thrash, of abandoning his stony-faced dignity as he became totally unglued. Yet he did not. Instead Ari grit his teeth, clenched his paws…and prayed for a miracle.

Robotnik's eye glimmered with callous amusement as he spared the helpless ram a sidelong glance, "Don't be so glum, my dear boy. Consider yourself privileged." Each and every syllable the human uttered was pure distilled malice, "The last stand of Princess Acorn is nigh; an historic event that every Freedom Fighter on the planet would give their right paw for the honour to witness firsthand. And you have one of the best seats in the house! Figuratively speaking, that is. But oh…could it in fact be the possibility of experiencing survivors guilt that so mortifies you? If that is indeed the root of your discomfort than, please, be troubled no longer." A finger as thick as a sausage stabbed at the prisoner in malediction as those teeth ground together in a heathen grin, "First _them_…then _you_!!"

As her boots marked a desperate and squelching trail across the ground, Sally stumbled momentarily. And as her face jerked downward, she saw her face reflected back at her by the drenched concrete; the sight of her own desperate eyes compounded the hopeless horror of this sadistic nightmare. Despite the arm she hugged against it, her side was wracked with a growing stitch – and the higher the pain climbed, the clearer her mind became.

As though each burning stab served to drive the point further home, Sally came to understand the true purpose of this sick game. Naugus, she reasoned, had them all right in the palm of his one hand. Yet rather than simply crush the three, the sorcerer insisted on toying with them. _No__…not the three of us. _Understanding crystallised in her mind. _Me._If the sorcerer had truly sought to obliterate her then he could have accomplished it in a heartbeat – this was not about destruction but control.

What Naugus intended was for the pain and fear to wear down her will to the point that she would feel she had no other choice than to cry out for supplication, to tell him that she would surrender Tails if only he would spare her life – the sorcerer wanted her to _want_ to sell the cub's life in order to save her own. And as she perceived this truth, Sally saw her eyes harden in renewed determination. _Never…_ The Princess would never thrust the fox through the gateway to Hell – the act of betrayal would have been the _true_ path to damnation. No…she would protect Tails. She had protected him since the very moment of his arrival in this world and always would – and she did so not because he was a fellow Freedom Fighter nor even because of the promise she had made on that day ten years ago. Both factored into it but still both melted before the real reason for her unbreakable defiance; Tails was half of her heart. _…never!_

The grin that encompassed the entire lower half of Naugus' visage was sadism in its purest rawest and ultimately most satisfying form as he watched The Princess slip and stumble – he could practically feel the weariness slowly stealing over her limbs. _There is no armour against fate, Princess. Come now…_ And the weaker she became, the stronger grew his certainty that that her spirit would inevitably follow – it was surely a matter of mere moments now. _…for all of your airs and graces, you will have to surrender to me._

As she kept running, running until the limitations of her own body delivered her unto death, Sally thought also of a certain blue hedgehog. _Sonic…_ A hedgehog who in spite of the many aspects of his personality that exasperated and infuriated her, was the _other_ half of her heart. _Oh Sonic…_ As the crash of thunder and the screech of laughter blended together in her ears, a chaotic cacophony, Sally hoped that he would be able to get out of the city alive. Get The Roboticizer back to Knothole. Ensure that those countless tortured souls would at last be released from the living nightmare they had all endured for so long. Make her death and the deaths of her friends here today _mean_ something. _I just wish that I could have seen you one last time…before the end._

It was in this moment when all hope seemed to have faded beyond recall that it came, heralded by a boom so deep that The Freedom Fighters naturally mistook it for the resounding crash of yet another thunderclap. Yet for some reason, Tails again felt the urge to look over his shoulder. As he stared at the dark mouth of the south-western alleyway, the fox-cub thought that it would swallow him whole…and right now, heck, he wished it would. Then he saw it…and as he did, it was as though he'd finally been struck by one of the thunderbolts. What was funny about it was that it actually didn't feel so bad – if this was being dead, the fox-cub mused, then it really didn't deserve the bad rap it constantly received. As he realised that the sensation he now experienced was not that of intense electrification but of the new hope that suddenly coursed through him, reviving and empowering his spirit tenfold, Tails ceased his madcap scramble. "Sally!!" he yelled at the top of his voice, his gloved paw shooting toward the alleyway. "Look!!"

Sally looked across her shoulder, primarily to yell at him to _keep running_ – as her eyes followed the direction of his pointed finger, however, the stern command died upon the verge of her lips.

That dazzling flash of motion had been the distant light at the end of that dark tunnel when Tails had first glimpsed it. As Sally's captivated eyes watched it surge through the alleyway like an unstoppable blue wave, however, it turned from a vague blur to a figure that was strikingly familiar to her. It was the figure of he whom The Princess would rather have seen than a whole army of Freedom Fighters in this, her darkest of hours.

Naugus' leer of grotesque glee was supplanted by a frown as he stayed his gloved hand just in time to avoid inadvertently incinerating one of his 'guests' – as his sport inexplicably ground to a halt, he turned a glare upon the alleyway. And as they perceived the individual who exploded through the heavy curtain of rain, they were suffused with such rancour that the raindrops were almost frozen in their descent. _Him__! So…that puerile metal golem has failed me! _Like the dried skin of two dead worms, his lips parted in a silent feral snarl as he witnessed the surging streak of blue effulgence. _That fool __Robotnik!_

Robotnik's blood had been as heated as an oil-spill doused in napalm as he had revelled in the sight of The Freedom Fighters running for their lives. Thus the sight of them _ceasing_ to run, of the unmistakable delight which sprang to life in their eyes as they glimpsed something or other just beyond his own line of vision, was to him like an ice-cube being dropped down his neck._ Something…behind me? _Slowly the bald head swivelled – and as he stared over his vast shoulder, the downcast dictator's eyes were struck with an emptiness which verged on being eerie. _My eye lies! __Omega__…I commanded __Omega__ to…!!_

Tails grinned like a monkey as he hopped up and down on the spot, throwing his paws out wide with glee. _I knew he'd come…I just __knew!_ At the halfway point of his next jump, the fox-cub found himself being swept up by a pair of arms; one soft, one hard. Bunnie's grin reached her sparkling green eyes as she engaged Tails in an impromptu dance of joy. "We're saved, sweetie!" she cheered, "That darlin' Sugah Hog wouldn't leave us hangin' in a million years!"

Ari too gazed over his broad shoulder, a wide grin spreading across his face. _Now this I just __have__ to see! _thought the ram as his captors followed suit, minus the grins. _Not that I was going anywhere..._

As she watched him come, Sally's wide eyes shone with a joy that not even the darkness of the sky above could engulf nor could the fear of death break; from the depths of the shadows he came like a bolt of blue lightening.

If there actually existed some unseen omnipotent entity which watched over all of Mobius then Ari's prayer had been answered - if wishes came true then Sally's had been granted that day.

And as she called out the name to which this living symbol of undying courage belonged, The Princess' voice sounded like the sweetest song imaginable in its soaring elation;

"_Sonic_!"

Sonic the Hedgehog's eyes were aflame with fury as he sped toward the small army of SWATbots, his fists clenched in readiness for the conflict ahead; "_Okay_…" he growled, the trailing ends of his makeshift bandage lashing the air. "…get the _heck_ away from my _family_!"

* * *

The Dumping Zone lay in a state of absolute shambles – the piles of machinery which had as recently as one hour ago stood in towering piles of ordered chaos had been obliterated, reduced to shattered chunks of _utter_ chaos. A mere glance would have proved sufficient to convince any casual viewer (had there actually been any in Robotropolis) that this place had recently been used as a war-zone – a preconception that would have borrowed considerable weight from the fact that that was precisely what had occurred on this day.

Silence reigned in the aftermath of the fierce conflict that had raged in the machine's graveyard…a state which didn't last long. The growl of an engine stirring to life rumbled across overturned heaps. The vermin and cockroaches which had not been driven away already fled now in fear as this mechanical purr grew more steady and deep with each passing second – dust-particles danced like miniscule jumping-beans as the source of this disturbance caused the very ground to quake in apprehension.

The payoff to this suspenseful build-up came abruptly – and it was dramatic indeed. What it lacked in sophistication was far more than made up for in regard to sheer effort. With a resounding boom worthy of the thunderstorm that raged in the distance, one of the few scrap-piles that had remained miraculously intact now went the way of the rest of its rusted brethren; from the depths of The Dumping Zone it came, having ploughed through that obstacle as easily as a shower of water.

A hulking slab of metal, mounted upon one monstrous tread which left a series of corrugated scars gashed into the aged concrete as it moved – above the triad of laser-canons riveted to the face of this utter horror, a battlement of a cockpit could clearly be seen. This was but one of many weapons with which War Minister Julian Kintobor had, ten years ago, turned the tide of The First Great War in favour of The House of Acorn; The Mobian Ground Tank.

Today, however, the controls of this war-machine were not in the hands of a grim-faced Mobian Soldier…but of _another_ machine.

Lieutenant Omega had not been finished as The Freedom Fighters so blissfully believed – The Elite SWATbot had only just managed to throw 'himself' from The Hover Pad, landing a clear distance away as it had careered straight into the heart of that mountainous mass of refuse and consequently been engulfed. And as 'he' piloted 'his' newly-procured killing-machine, Omega now had just one burning objective.

_**(This isn't over, Hedgehog…it won't be over until you are dead!)**_

**End of Chapter**

_Author Notes - Wow...I really am bushed! I think I'll take a week off before I start workin' on Chapter Seven. Anyway, as ever..._

_Keep Fightin' The Good (Freedom) Fight!!_


	8. Basketball Court Battle Royale

_Author Notes - Y' know, somethin' struck me about a week ago. It wasn't a flash of lightning (Pauses in order to check the sky for any sign of one) but instead a realisation. Since the last chapter, I've replayed Final Fantasy VII as well as the Metal Gear Solid series - what, you may ask, did I deduce from this? That it really is time for me to be givin' ya'll a new chapter! (Just call me Sherlock.) 'Specially seeing as Christmas (or, as I tend to call it, X-Day) is just 'round the corner and I won't have a great deal of time to work on the story 'til the New Year. So I took a gander at what I'd managed to write so far of what was __going__ to be Chapter Seven, took scenes one and two and turned __them__ into Chapter Seven. As an eensy little compromise, you'll be gettin' to see the Tails element that I promised...though you'll kinda need to wait 'til Chapter Eight in order to catch up with the ol' Hunter Executioner. Sorry about that but I really wanted to leave you guys with a reward for your patience before I go semi-offline for the holiday...rather than just leavin' ya'll __hangin'__, huh?_

_Anyway, heeere iiit iiis! Hope that'cha enjoy it!_

**Chapter Seven**

**Basketball Court Battle Royale; From The Past A Shadow Rises**

_Hedgehog__..._

The eyes of Doctor Robotnik were empty as a glass decanter which had sat among the cobwebs of a long unopened antique cabinet, blank as a sheet of paper which had lain long forgotten inside the drawer of a dusty old writing-desk – yet as the one in whose skull they resided stared at the figure now coming toward him at rapid speed, paragraph after paragraph of an antagonistic history began to appear upon that sheet even as the glass was filled with the wine of a hatred that had grown extremely intoxicating over the passing years.

…_Hedgehog__..._

And at the very instant he was assured that they deceived him not, Robotnik narrowed those eyes – the history that he shared with the approaching figure now burned in his mind with such stark clarity that it might have been written in boiling blood upon the parchment which was his memory, the hatred so all-consuming as it spilled forth from the rim of the glass which was his dark heart that it might have been growing over the course of a thousand rather than merely _ten_ years.

…_Hedgehog__!_

That stale dough-ball of a face contorted into a grin as the sight of his old enemy brought the old enmity roaring up from the depths of his seething soul – there had once been a time when he had spent most of his waking hours contemplating endless schemes by which he might finally bring about the caging of this insufferable rodent, a vast myriad of methods of ushering him to his death as slowly and uncomfortably as possible. It felt truly bizarre to remember that time, given that he barely even thought about the hedgehog these days. If the ever mounting number of hours, days, weeks spent flinching in response to the most careless twitch of his new master's finger and thumb had reduced Robotnik's very existence to an endless and sadistic nightmare…then the hedgehog's return was a metaphorical drop of water which brought him back to wakefulness as it dripped from the metaphorical ceiling.

And as his mind was liberated from the chains of oppression, Robotnik felt as though he had returned to the time before his imposing shoulders had been bowed by the humiliation of enslavement – the time in which he had been the overlord of a great and mighty empire, his smallest gesture flowing with immense power and pride. The time before he had been reduced to the role of a mere pawn; outwardly tattered and bedraggled, inwardly ashes and ruins.

Most exquisitely of all…Doctor Robotnik felt like himself again.

The grin that split The Doctor's face was like a crevice out in The Great Unknown, those teeth like great chunks of jagged rock, as he watched his enemy approach – there was a glint of devilry in those eyes as they came alive again with burning malevolence. _What an __entrance!_ _How __dramatic! _The human raised his roboticized hand slowly into the air. _How __thrilling!_ One (with a lot of imagination and a seriously inebriated mind) might have mistaken him for an oversized schoolboy eager to answer a question posed by his invisible teacher during a field-trip to the decaying city. Whereas in fact he was poised to deliver a signal to the fourteen SWATbots now holding The Freedom Fighters at rifle-point. _How utterly __pointless__! The hedgehog may huff and puff just as much as he cares to – but in the end, it is I who shall be The Big Bad Wolf! _It did not cross The Doctor's mind that he had tangled his fairy-tales – nor would he have cared a single jot if it had. _With his precious Princess at my less than tender mercy, I possess the winning hand…that is to say, the __upper-hand__! And as he should know by now…__I never bluff!!_

As he raced into the court, Sonic couldn't help realising that he really had neglected to think this through – back at The Dumping Zone, all that he'd cared about was getting here as fast as possible to save his friends. Now that he was here, there was considerably more room for thought in his mind – and as he mentally assessed the situation, the hedgehog was forced to acknowledge that the big rescue wasn't going to be quite so simple.

Situation; Sally, Bunnie, Ari and Tails were all standing in the firing-line of a whole bunch of rifle-wielding SWATbots. One wrong move on his part and he'd be looking at sizzled squirrel, roasted rabbit, not-so-rare ram and fried fox. Course of action; well, _what_?

_Strategy_ was what, "Hey, Egg For Brains!" Sonic heckled The Doctor as he veered in order to perform half a lap around his own side of the court – if nothing else, it would buy him time to _think_. "Why don'cha let my buds go an' take me on, _Sluggo_ a _Hedgehoggo_?"

From the outset, the hedgehog didn't hold out a great deal of hope that this half-hearted gambit might succeed – for it to have stood any chance of actually working, his enemy would have needed to be the kind of villain who preferred his moments of triumph to remain untainted by the presence of others. And that was the precise point at which the hedgehog's ploy fell to pieces; the nemesis he now faced was not that kind of villain at all. He was a man who would not merely be ready but eager to hold an entire forest to ransom, threatening to burn every leaf and twig to the ground, just to force a single enemy out into the open – a man who would not simply have been willing but delighted to throw a mother mouse into The Roboticizer and publicly announce his intention of throwing the switch, thus condemning her eight children to death by starvation, unless that same enemy came to take her place within the next five minutes.

He was Doctor Robotnik - and at long last he had his arch-nemesis, Sonic the Hedgehog, right in the palm of his gloved hand.

Every flake of dried skin and oozing pour on Robotnik's body seemed to reek pure derision as he scoffed the mere suggestion, "A possible scenario, rodent…" the human drawled with all the complacency of a scoundrel whom knew that he had absolutely nothing to fear. "…though an _extremely unlikely _one. Just regard the situation, Hedgehog. I do believe that I have…"

Robotnik never managed to complete that sentence (though for posterity's sake, his next words would probably have been "…you right where I want you.") – with the hostages facing swift and merciless death by his word, the human felt in his bones that this would be the day on which the hedgehog finally fell.

But of course…even one's bones could be proven wrong.

A bitter lesson learned that day by Doctor Robotnik. The SWATbot Unit's current prerogative was to ensure that The Freedom Fighters were kept at bay, to be fired upon with extreme force in the event that even one of them put so much as a foot out of place. Yet as all fourteen robotic foot-soldiers gazed simultaneously over their shoulders, it was as though this charge was erased from their artificial minds – in a nanosecond, holding the hostage quartet at rifle-point no longer seemed so high a priority.

As the en mass clink of several metallic heels turning with a flourish resonated through the air-waves, Robotnik gave a bewildered blink – those dark depthless eyes blazed with fury as they saw that The SWATbot Unit no longer faced the hostage Freedom Fighters. "_What_ is the _meaning_ of…?!" was all that he had the chance to bellow.

The rest of the torrential stream of red-faced abuse was lost, drowned as the fourteen SWATbots broke their silence in order to speak as one;

"_**Hedgehog, Priority One! Capture By Order of Robotnik!"**_

Robotnik's lower-jaw dropped, hanging limply as though the bone that connected it to the rest of his skull was shattered by the shock that now hit him like a blow to the face. "Oh no..." Every SWATbot created in order to stalk the shadowy streets of Robotropolis had been programmed to consider the hedgehog's apprehension its ultimate priority – thus the briefest glimpse of a blue spike whipping out of sight around a corner would instantly cause one of the many identical humanoid robots to forsake its prior task and take pursuit. "_No…_" Never had it crossed the former megalomaniac's mind that this very programming might one day result in the tables being turned in the hedgehog's favour – that fatal oversight became glaringly clear as the entire Unit now abandoned the task of keeping the hostages under control, breaking formation in order to charge toward that staggeringly swift hedgehog. And Robotnik's face turned so red that one might have friend an egg upon it as, his ultimate weapon against the hedgehog having been cast aside, he felt sweet victory slip through his fingers yet again. "_NOOOO_!!"

Sonic wore a gloriously glowing grin as his dynamite feet veered back toward the stand-off – it was the grin of a hedgehog who was now back in the ballgame. And _how_! "Yo, Ro_butt_nik!" his voice rose to taunt the chagrined human, "Ya believe that'cha have _what_? _One mondo ugly mug_? Yeah, ya sure have _that…_but I guess it ain't the answer! Well how 'bout _one case of realio trulio_ _bad breath_? Hotter? Colder? Ooh, ooh! I gottit'! Ya have _one hedgehog-sized problem ta' deal with_! I _belieeeve_…_we have a winnah'!!_" in a flash, the hedgehog closed the distance between himself and The Doctor. "Rushed right offa' my feet right now, Robo Butt…_torque_ ta' ya later!!"

As he struggled to keep the hedgehog in sight, Robotnik parted those cavernous jaws in order to make way for an especially menacing threat – it was left to find its own forlorn way to the oblivion reserved for all unuttered sentences as a high-speed-hedgehog-induced gust of wind caused the tattered yellow cape affixed to his shoulders to become entangled about his sinister face.

"_Hedgeh_…mmf?!"

As The Doctor staggered from side to side in a heavily intoxicated manner, Sonic circled behind one of The SWATbots now charging straight toward him – the robotic warrior spun on its heel to see the Priority One Hedgehog just standing there, cheerily waving. _**"Stay right where you are, Hedgehog."**_ proclaimed that tinny drone of a voice.

Sonic stared blankly as the laser-rifle was aimed directly at him – the barrel of the deadly weapon was not, however, the source of his sudden shock. "Stay right…? Are ya…?" As his brain processed what he'd just heard, the hedgehog simply could not hold back the mirth that came gushing up to his mouth. "Are ya serious?" It just had to have been the most excruciatingly ridiculous thing anyone had said to him in his whole life…and the hedgehog had spent a decade living alongside _Antoine_! "Ya…ya _are_, aren'cha? _Ya actually serious_!!"

With a merry laugh, Sonic weaved a second circle around the accosting SWATbot – the difference was that this time around he didn't _stop_. The same could not be said for The SWATbot – the towering android attempted to repeat its stunt of a few seconds ago, only for its metal ankles to become entangled, bringing their owner crashing heavily and embarrassingly to the ground. Just in time to inadvertently trip up the _next_ SWATbot as it made a lunging attempt to take the fleet-footed Freedom Fighter from behind…

Leaving his pair of now intertwined assailants to eat his dust, Sonic turned and rocketed directly into the heart of the oncoming robotic maelstrom – his teeth clenched into a fierce grin, his eyes retaining that bright and seemingly inextinguishable spark of humour. It was the face of a hedgehog now staring death in the face, daring it to give him its very best shot…and he was not alone.

For as fortune turned so miraculously in their favour, The Freedom Fighters _moved_. Bunnie pumped her arms back and forth as she bore down on one of the charging SWATbots, "Hee-_yah_!!" exclaimed the rabbit as she launched herself through the air in a devastating flying-kick – the combined force of both bionic feet deprived her former captor of its head; a change of circumstances so sudden and unexpected to the robot that it actually continued to thrash ineffectually as it collapsed, now a useless ravaged shell, to the ground.

Sally paused only to show a clear and uncompromising eye to the gawping Tails, "Don't even _think_ about it_! Stay here_!" And then she was sprinting past the rabbit, flinging her body sideward and rolling as smoothly as water across the ground. When she sprang back to her booted feet, the squirrel cradled the rifle of the beheaded robot beneath her steady arm. First one and then a second laser-beam cut through the air, each preceded by a dazzling flash of purple, each aimed with perfect precision – barely a split-second later, two SWATbots were sprawling across the ground with matching holes burnt straight through their heads.

As she twisted off the arm of the SWATbot which had tried to seize her wrist, Bunnie took the opportunity to cheer on The Princess. "Why, Sally Girl! Ah do declare that t' be the smoothest shootin' these green ol' eyes o' mine evah did see!" complimented the rabbit as she performed a perfect home-run, using the dismembered arm for the bat and the hapless SWATbot's head for the ball.

Sally responded with a cool collected smile, "I suppose my recent target-practice may have paid off after all." She remarked, squinting along the barrel of her borrowed weapon and taking unerring aim for a third time.

Alerted by the disconnected head that soared over the southern rooftop, two of the SWATbots swung around to meet the new threat – as fate had it, however, _it_ met _them_. As soon as this very pair of SWATbots had relinquished their accosting grips upon him, Ari had turned his flinty eyes toward them in a glare of silent vengeance. And free at last to act upon it, the ram did not hold back. Lowering his head, Ari charged across the cracked and charred ground – propelled by a pair of strong hooves, the pair of curving horns cannoned into the chest of the robotic duo with a force so devastating that both their armoured bodies split into two. "I hope you boys learned a lesson here today." the ram grunted, beads of sweat coursing down his face as he casually flipped a pair of dismembered torsos up into the air. "Don't get between a ticked off Freedom Fighter and his pals!"

Sonic felt as though he was trapped inside the biggest bug-zapper in the world – whereas in reality he was running along the side of the western building in order to evade the combined fire-power of three SWATbots which, having managed to regroup, were engaged now in a co-ordinated endeavour to fix themselves a spot of Hedgehog Hash. As he swerved clear of another searing streak, Sonic narrowed his eyes in response to a flash of reflected light from someway up ahead – and as he perceived its source, a plan was born in the hedgehog's mind. _Time for one radical reversal! _As he made to streak on by, Sonic's paw shot out and gripped the rusty basketball-hoop jutting from the building's side – in the subsequent second, the hedgehog was swung back in the direction from which he'd just come without losing the slightest degree of momentum!

The laser-fire momentarily ceasing as The SWATbot trio attempted to discern just where their moving target had moved _to_, Sonic launched himself into fight-back mode – with a thrust of the ankles, the hedgehog performed a corkscrewing dive through the air. "Yo!" he exclaimed as his sneaker-shod soles slammed into the shoulders of a robotic warrior, the sudden impact sending it staggering back. "Sorry ta' drop in unannounced like this!"

"_**Priority-One…" **_was all the SWATbot had time to say before crashing to the ground.

Sonic rebounded into the air, exploiting his momentum in order to perform a breath-taking somersault. "Don't wanna be a pain in the butt…" the hedgehog continued, his tone breezy as his feet landing astride the shoulders of the second SWATbot which consequently stumbled forward.

"…_**Hedgehog…" **_the robot succeeded in uttering before its finely designed head smashed face-first into the unsophisticatedly hard ground.

"…so I'll just be cruisin' along on my righteous way now!" Sonic concluded as he dove from The SWATbot's descending back – the hedgehog was enjoying himself immensely as he hit the ground sliding, shooting straight between the legs of the third SWATbot which strove to seize him in its powerful arms only to find itself performing an extremely impressive though purely unintentional forward somersault. "Say adios!"

"…_**alert!" **_was the last word the animosity-fuelled automaton had time to say before its body was shaken apart by the fierce concussion, its freshly disembodied head bouncing and rolling across the ground like a loose wagon-wheel.

And as he witnessed from aloft the descent of an exquisitely inescapable trap into an all-out massacre, Ixis Naugus felt it anew; the contemptuous disgust that had grown to become as familiar as the reflected image of his own face during the passage of the many years he had spent observing, through magical means of course, the events unfolding upon this planet. Drop by drop had sheer scorn welled within the soul of the sorcerer as, from the bitter isolation of The Void, he had witnessed his despised betrayer fail time and time again to deal competently with a simple case of pest control.

_He cannot so much as keep his wind-up warriors under control…_Given his volatile temper and blatant over-reliance on the very machines which proved even now to be his Achilles Heel, it remained to the sorcerer a great marvel that the human had succeeded even in overthrowing The Kingdom of Acorn. _…and yet he once thought to rule this world?! __Ha__! How delightfully __absurd__! Truly, the antics of my former partner in intrigue would be most __amusing__…were they not most __pitiful!_

Chuckling inwardly over Robotnik's utter incompetence, Naugus turned his attention toward the hedgehog-shaped streak of blue now moving at mind-boggling speed. The sorcerer's sharp eye narrowed into a harassed slit as it failed even to keep up with the intense blur much less muster the concentration necessary to summon a thunderbolt with which to strike it down. _Hmph… _The sorcerer could quite easily invoke a thunder-strike to obliterate the whole court, it was true – yet resorting to such a course of action would have marked the moment in which he admitted that his formidable cunning had failed him. And if the decrepit-bodied sorcerer should choose to forsake his powerful mind…then, as far as he was concerned, he would have nothing left. And at any rate, such a desperately cack-handed measure might lead to the destruction of a certain party; a party in whom the sorcerer now held vested interested. _I must wait for my window of opportunity to open. And when it does… _Allowing those sharp eyes to close, Naugus smiled as blissfully as though he smelt a blue-berry pie cooling upon a window-sill. _When it __does__…oh __joy!_

Tails watched raptly as Sonic zigzagged around the court like a flash of blue lightning, moving so incredibly fast that not a single laser-blast came within an inch of him – and as he did, the toothy grin that had split his face slowly faded. Again the fox-cub felt the desperate urge to prove himself.

For a moment, Tails contemplated Sally's command that he remain out of the fray – and as he mulled that crisply clear instruction over in his mind, it was joined by the equally clear memory of a certain remark that The Princess had made during her ultimately disastrous attempt to negotiate with Naugus. And as he brooded over it, the face of the two-tailed fox grew hard and stony. _She…called me a child. _Another moment was all it took for Sally's direct order to be dismissed from the cub's mind. _A __child__…in front of __everyone! _He couldn't just stand around on the sidelines – he needed to get right in there with the others, battle alongside his fellow Freedom Fighters!

Mustering every last ounce of courage he possessed, Tails clenched his fists and ran forward – and as they darted from left to right, his bright-blue eyes wavered. As he watched Bunnie engaging in fierce close-quarter combat, Sally performing fetes of stunning marksmanship, Ari taking down adversaries through sheer brute strength, Sonic being _everywhere_ at once…Tails felt _overwhelmed_. Now that he was on the battlefield, what should he do?

_What __can__ I do?!_

Had the vast thundercloud not suffocated what little light this city knew, Tails would have felt the ominous shadow now creeping over him – yet he still _heard_. As a deep breath swept his back, Tails momentarily stood frozen to the spot – fighting off the shackles of fear for the second time that day, the fox-cub turned his head to stare up at the person who stood behind him.

Doctor Robotnik too had braved the immense danger of the raging battle – and as he loomed over the fox, the human appeared far more huge and terrifying than any troll or ogre. "I wonder if Naugus would permit me to keep you as a pet once he tires of you?" as those chilling words were hissed, the monstrous human reached out for the hostage with whom he might yet seize victory from the jaws of defeat. "Don't you _dare_ try to run, boy…unless, of course, you want me to _break_ _every last bone_ in your scrawny little body!"

Sally's right eye was like that of a hunting eagle as she took aim upon her fifth SWATbot – yet as she prepared to draw back the trigger, the corner of that same eye caught a glimpse of something which turned her blood to ice. To say that The Princess' concentration was broken by the horrifying spectacle of Robotnik towering over her young charge would have been to make a World Record-Breaking Understatement. "Sonic…_Sonic_!!" she cried in utter desperation, turning her head this way and that in an effort to locate the only one who could save the cub now. "Tails needs you!! _Please_!!"

As her attention was ripped from it, The SWATbot took aim with its own rifle…

Through one eye, Bunnie saw The SWATbot preparing to murder her friend – through the other, the squirrel lowering her guard as something distracted her. With both cybernetic feet, the rabbit _moved_ - vaulting over the crumpled husk of her own trashed foe and sprinting at full speed, Bunnie took the ambitious automaton down with a powerful slam of her hunched shoulder. As the blind-siding rabbit knocked it off-balance, The SWATbot was treated to a magnificent view of the ground – this, however, was the only perk that the metal warrior received. Pausing only to crush the head of the fallen robot underfoot just as she would a discarded yet still smouldering cigarette, Bunnie turned her attention to Sally – on her caramel-furred face was the most severe look she had ever given her beloved best friend. "Sally Girl, what the _hoo_-_ha_ could be important enough t'…" as she began to utter this hot reprimand, the rabbit followed the line of the squirrel's gaze – and as she comprehended Tails' plight, her emerald eyes widened in pure horror. "Oh _Mah_…!!"

Sonic's pointed ears were filled by the hammering of his own feet against waterlogged concrete and the mayhem raging around him – yet still the hedgehog heard that pleading scream. His beady stare swept the battlefield, swiftly ascertaining Tails' peril. "_Hero-time!_" Narrowing those infallible eyes, the hedgehog craned his neck forward and cranked his speed-level up to that of a heat-seeking missile. "_Hang in there, Bro! I'll have ya outta there in a Sonic S…_"

That confident assurance went unfinished as intervention of the super-fast spiky-blue variety was rendered suddenly unnecessary...

Tails wanted nothing more than to back away – but it felt as though the air had solidified to form an invisible wall against his back, as though the small puddle in which his left foot stood had frozen solid around it. He was helpless to do anything more than watch in terror as that set of fingers came to engulf him – those metallic digits looked both large and long enough to close around his entire head. The overpowering sense of shame burned him again – as he shook before the despicable human, it was sickeningly clear within Tails' mind just how ridiculous was the notion that _he_ might take on _Robotnik_.

_Help me! Why won't someone come and help me?! _

The thought came naturally to his mind – when later recalling it, the fox-cub would utterly despise himself.

Nearer and closer came that menacingly huge hand. And when the cybernetic fingers were so near to Tails' frightened face that he could actually see the joints where fingers met knuckles…they froze, coming no closer.

Robotnik's considerably wide brow wrinkled, not due to stress or fatigue but to utter bewilderment – the human very nearly cocked his ear like that of a dog as he stood listening intently, almost forgetting his terrified quarry. The sound which had carried to his ears seemed to come from a considerable distance away – yet it seemed nonetheless to gain the court at an incredible speed, growing so deep that every particle of air in the vicinity collided against its neighbour as it scrambled frantically to make way for the formidable rumble.

Given the opressive presence of the crown of storm-clouds, Robotnik might have been forgiven (though it was fairly unlikely, given his status as the most loathed person in the history of Mobius) had he written the deep rumble off as the herald of yet another thunderbolt – yet the human knew differently. If his ears were any judge, what he now heard was the sound of metal thudding against concrete...and very quickly indeed. To The Doctor's mind, it brought vivid images of grand coliseums, of shining spears and bronze armour. For all the world, it made him picture…

…_a __chariot?!_

The incredible suspense came to an equally incredible end – from the mouth of the south-eastern alleyway the source of the sound came like a spear blinding light.

That broad back, The Speed Bot mused as he rocketed onto the court, may as well have been marked with a bulls-eye symbol._** (This sour-faced, absurdly-dressed spoilsport is the one responsible for my existence?)**_ Methodically, the robotic speedster lowered that smooth head as he altered his course accordingly. _**(Hmm…I'd better just **__**get rid of the evidence**__**!)**_

Recognising the oncoming machine at once, Robotnik just had time to glare scathingly across his shoulder at it. B_etrayed?! _Upon consideration, The Doctor would posthumously conclude that it may have been more productive (not to mention pragmatic) to have occupied himself in _bounding out of the way_ during that grace period. In the here and now, he found himself performing a spectacular cartwheel through the air – had the mechanical feline's cranium not driven every last microbe of air from his lungs, the human would undoubtedly have bellowed in anguished indignation as he was propelled upward.

His heels churning up miniature tidal-waves as he skidded to a halt, Sonic tilted his head back in the manner of an avid baseball fan. "Woah! Straight outta the park!" the hedgehog exclaimed, a grin breaking across his face – every tooth in his head vibrating as the high-flying human hit the ground with the impact of a falling killer-whale, the hedgehog turned to watch as The Speed Bot barged a trio of SWATbots aside like bowling-pins. "Man oh _man_…I'm startin' ta' dig this _mondo cool cat_ way more than I used ta'!"

With Bunnie by her side, Sally had begun to run toward the stupefied-looking Tails whose every strand of fur had been blown flat against his body as that thing had stormed right past him – as her considerable mind aborbed the physical appearance of the fox-cub's saviour, however, the astonished squirrel froze to a halt beside the hedgehog. "Sonic…" she exclaimed, remembering how he had once described it to the villagers as they had all gathered around a single fire in order to be regaled by his tale of heroism. "…was that _The Speed Bot_?!"

Sonic felt a wave of immense relief wash over him as he turned to see her by his side – too cool to get gushy over it, he gave her a wink. "Sure is, Sal. Hey, be cool! He's on our side now!" His grin broadening in response to the look of scepticism the squirrel turned on him, the hedgehog spread out his arms in a theatrical gesture. "Forget Naugus, Sal – Rotor's the real wizard around here! Cuz our main walrus is the guy who made ol' Speedy's bad attitude…_disappear_!"

A smile of appreciation for the blubbery mechanic graced Sally's face. She felt an urge to wrap the hedgehog in a close embrace, to nuzzle her soft-furred cheek against his – seeing as the circumstance that she was currently cradling a rifle as well as the fact that the two of them were smack-bang in the middle of a battlefield both conspired to render this yearning impractical, she settled instead for a one-armed hug. "I'm glad you're safe, Sonic." She told him simply although, truth be told, her radiant smile transcended uncounted thousands of words.

Sonic seemed to respond to the smile on her face rather than the words from her mouth – either that or he was so flustered that he simply answered without thinking; "Yeah...me too, Sal. _Me too_."

Sally rolled her eyes – as they roved upward, her nose crinkled in bemusement. "So…" she began slowly, her eyes bemused as they dwelt upon the scarlet bandanna tied about the hedgehog's forehead. "…what's _this_? Some kind of _statement_…or simply the _new you_?"

It took a second for Sonic to figure out what she was talking about – what with the laser-blasts coursing past his spiny head and the blood pumping through his veins, the presence of the makeshift bandage had slipped the hedgehog's mind despite the tightness with which he'd tied it in order to ensure that it didn't slip from his _head_. As Sally's query reminded him, however, Sonic reached up and twanged the tatter-edged strip like a blazing rubber-band. "_Both wrong_, Sal." He stated, flinching. "As a matter of fact…it's what I call my procushion"

"Your…_pro_-_cushion_." Sally repeated, her tone as flat as a pancake – perhaps it was just the many years she'd spent in his constant company but The Princess got a distinct feeling that a distinctly _odious joke_ was heading straight her way. Then again, she reprimanded herself, perhaps not – Sonic may just surprise her with a witticism of unexpected sophistication and intelligence as opposed to, say, yet another of the unsubtle puns that she'd grown accustomed to. _Well…it __could__ happen. _She reasoned optimistically.

Sonic gave a barely muffled snort as he found himself just unable to maintain a straight face for a second longer, "Yeah…for my _con_cussion!" the hedgehog threw back his head and launched into a braying laugh, "Get it, Sal?! Cushion, concussion…ya get what I did just then?! _Bwahahaha_!!"

Sally gave a sigh of resignation even as she fought to suppress the smirk which tugged at the rightmost corners of her lips. "Yes, Sonic, I get it…" _Note to self; don't expect miracles and you won't be disappointed. _"…even though I wish that I could say I _didn't_."

"Tails!" Deprived of her competition, Bunnie had won the race to Tails' side – and the first thing that she did was to plant a warm kiss upon his muzzle. "Ya'll okay, Sugah?" she asked, her voice husky due to a want for breath she barely even noticed in her anxiety over the fox-cub.

Tails' face was blank with shock as he looked up into at hers. Before she had come to him, Tails had been powerless to move for the fear which had been as icy drops of water falling onto his bones, freezing them up – inward waves of terror had run through the fox-cub's body, their source the single thought that had repeated itself over and over in his mind. _He…he was gonna get me! _All was changed by Bunnie's arrival however. The rabbit's kiss had sent an almost electric tingle coursing through him, banishing from his mind the terror that had filled him like a coldly numbing mist and replacing it with a richly warm vapour that made him feel safe but at the same time utterly bewildered. "Sure, Bunnie." was all that the fox-cub could think to stammer as his white-furred cheeks bloomed deep-red.

Bunnie smiled affectionately at him, perfectly oblivious to the whirlwind of feeling that her impulsive gesture had set off within the fox-cub. "Well, let's be keepin' it that way, Sugah! Now c'mon…" she asserted, casting a look of sheer loathing at the prone form of Robotnik who had joined his discombobulated effigy in lying motionless upon the ground. "…let's get ya'll away from here, hmm?"

Tails blinked at her repeatedly, still stricken by a dizziness wholly unrelated to the helping paw that The Speed Bot had lent him, "Oh…" he stammered as he processed what the rabbit had said. "Oh! Y-yeah, you're right!"

The look of amused exasperation on Sally's face mutated into one of deepest apprehension as a thought struck her like a bolt from out of the blue, "Er…is it me or had we forgotten completely about Naugus?" she suggested, her lightly thoughtful tone belying the dread now rising in her eyes.

The effect that these words had upon Sonic would have been enough to make one think that The Amazing Rotor had gracious agreed to an encore performance – the grin vanished from the hedgehog's face in an instant, fading like condensation from the rim of a bottle, melting like a wicked snowball condemned to spend an eternity in Hell. "Naugus?!" spat the hedgehog – his gloved paws doubled instinctively into fists. "_Where_?!"

Sally would later wonder just what on Mobius had possessed her to do what she now did – perhaps the happiness that she felt upon seeing the hedgehog again was so immense that (just this once) she hadn't stopped to think. Whatever the case, The Princess _did_ point her paw toward the top of the northern building – Sonic's narrowed eyes flicked toward that derelict structure, his freshly sparked glare blazing into intensity as it met the imposing figure of the one whom beheld the mayhem from high above.

And in the split-second they did, he was _gone_ – with a rush of air which flattened Sally's frizzed fur quite nicely, if rather more thoroughly than she would personally have liked, the hedgehog streaked toward the building. The memory of treachery and deceit burned hot in the mind of the hedgehog – he had no idea what he planned to do once he stood in front of the sorcerer but, beyond the shadow of a doubt, he knew that he would _do _it.

"_Nauguuus_!"

Only as Sonic ascended the side of the crumbling structure like an avenging angel returning to heaven in order to drive back an invading devil, did the blurted words pass Sally's lips; "Sonic…_wait_!!"

The aura of determination which the oncoming hedgehog radiated was so potent that it stirred a practically tangible ripple in the air – and as this wave of karma swept over his body, Ixis Naugus was shocked to discover that it chilled him right down to the stiff old bones. _In order to __defend__ myself… _The sorcerer realised in silent astonishment, the two rows of razor-sharp teeth grinding against each other in some agitation._ …I must __act!_

And he did.

Slipping hand and claw beneath the cape affixed to his shoulders, Naugus raised the sleek black garment slowly into two upward points – this stance lent the sorcerer a greater resemblance than ever to a monstrous bat as he readied himself in order to do that which would previously have been _unthinkable_.

From the sorcerer's perspective, Knothole's greatest champion appeared little more than a mere insect upon a wall, the swatting of which was to involve something vastly more dramatic than a rolled up sheet of parchment. _I confess to having underestimated you when last we clashed…to having allowed you to get the better of me that night. _As he remembered it with vivid clarity, Naugus felt his blood boil in supreme vexation. _Never again!!_

As the great formation of dark clouds growled in answer to the silent entreaty of their master, Sally gave one frightened gasp – in her mind there flashed an image of what this rumbling meant, sense-shattering in its hideous crystal-clarity. "_Sonic_!" the squirrel screamed in desperation, her paws clenched so tight that her knuckles felt like rocks. "_Get out of there_!!"

That cry was not the sole warning that Sonic received of the imminent deadly peril – as an intense burst of light abruptly turned the sky above blinding white, the hedgehog realised instantly that here was probably _not_ the best of places for him to be right now. Shoving his soles against the crumbling stone, Sonic vaulted backwards through the air – unlike his second freefall of that day, in which case The Grim Reaper's arms may very well have been waiting to catch him, the hedgehog had time before he reached the peak of his jump and commenced the inevitable plummet in which to furl into a tight spiny ball.

As the spiralling return to terra firma began, the voice of Naugus echoed more deeply than the growl of gathering thunder;

"_All that you are shall __shatter__!!"_

In the following seconds Sonic experienced (fittingly enough, in descending order) the wave of blisteringly intense heat which missed his body by mere millimetres as it coursed through the air, the deafening sound of the explosion that seemed to shake the very sky, the almost overpowering scent of the acrid smoke that came rushing to fill his nostrils…and the hardly dignified bump which signified that he'd just re-established contact with solid ground. _Man… _the disgruntled hedgehog thought as he bounced once before unfurling into a sprawled position across the ground which, despite all that they had been through together that day, still hadn't softened one iota toward him. _…I think I'm beginnin' ta' know how a __beach-ball__ feels!_

As Sonic lay flat on his back, battered yet uninjured, his vision was filled by the spectacle that was the northern building – the elusive way in which the structure now circled around and around was, he suspected, a side-effect of his dramatic evacuation from it. As he struggled to keep his eyes firmly on it, the hedgehog found himself abstractly emphasising with every SWATbot ever to have tried messing with him – was _this_ what he'd been putting them through for all these years?

The cavernous orifice, now a prominent feature of the side of the ruined building, bore a striking resemblance to the lair of a particularly sore-headed dragon as it emitted a seemingly endless quantity of smoke – Sonic hazarded a guess that it was a result of the thunderbolt that had so very nearly obliterated him.

_Ta' think that I wuz __this close__ ta' becomin' one __charred chump__..._

Though his view of the building continued to spin, he succeeded in pegging something of extreme significance; Ixis Naugus was no longer anywhere to be seen upon the scant remains of the rooftop.

For the briefest instant, Sonic entertained the notion that the sorcerer had not been swift enough in order to magically translocate himself clear of the descending thunderbolt – then he shook his woozy head and told himself to get real. _He's out there…somewhere. I'd stake the last chilidog on the planet on it. And one day…__he'll__ be __my__ chump! _So steadfast was the hedgehog's resolve to someday settle up once and for all with the sorcerer, he regained control of his right paw long before he did either of his feet – and as he clenched it in a fist of determination, he found himself engulfed by a vast cloak of darkness.

The shape that cast the gargantuan shadow which now descended over Sonic was clearly broad in regard both to longitude and latitude – it may well have been that of a snow-peaked mountain which nobody had happened to notice until now or an ancient pyramid that had lain in slumber for many ages and rose only now from the bowels of the earth. His gut, on the other hand, told him otherwise – and the hedgehog's instincts were swiftly corroborated.

The face that slid into view, Sonic recognised regardless of the circumstance that it appeared upside-down from his current perspective – up, down or all around, the hedgehog would have recognised that face. This immutable fact of life was due not solely to the stomach-turning horrendousness of its features but to the fact that the person to whom it belonged still drew breath.

As he saw the incarnation of evil which loomed over his big brother, Tails' bottom lip set – his left fist clenched as though under its own volition as he found himself infused by a sudden and fiery determination to save Sonic. Perhaps he was now the only one who could!

Taking a deep breath, Tails hunched his small shoulders and made ready to dash to the rescue. _I'm right here with you, Sonic. _The fox-cub thought, feeling steadier and braver by the second. _Just hang in there, I'm co…?!_

Tails' bid to prove himself was interrupted unexpectedly – a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind, enfolding the fox-cub like a vulnerable chick within a pair of protective wings. It was the fact that one felt warm and soft whereas the other was hard and cool which told Tails just who had gotten hold of him. "Bunnie…let me go!" he panted, his struggles as useless as a stick-insect's misguided endeavour to hold back a water-wheel. "_Put me down_!"

Bunnie pursed her lips as she lifted him from the ground – frantic though she was about Sonic, the rabbit put the cub's safety first. "Forget about a pawful, darlin'…" she grunted, holding him fast with no effort at all. "…ya'll are two _armfuls_!"

Doctor Robotnik towered over the sprawling hedgehog, his face twisted into a grin as joyous as though Christmas had arrived several months early and he had not even needed to break the legs of one of Santa's elves in order to get precisely what he'd wanted – in his arms, the laser-rifle he had snatched from the grip of a mangled SWATbot quivered in a way that served strongly to hint that he would have done so anyway just for the _sheer unbridled fun_ of it. "I suppose it really is true, what they say…" hissed the demonised human as he aimed the barrel of the deadly weapon directly at the forehead of the fallen Freedom Fighter – though the arms which cradled it shivered in almost childlike excitement, his aim remained horribly superb. Pausing only to breath a tingling sigh of pleasure, he continued; "…good things come to those who wait!"

As she spun around to see Sonic teetering between life and death, Sally wasted not a breath upon words. _Sonic…!! _The rifle rose like an extension of her arm as she targeted the menace. It was done in the blink of an eye, without a second's hesitation – all that remained was the pulling of the trigger and the squirrel would have taken her very first life. _I won't let him hurt you!_ As she made to pull the trigger, the squirrel felt the rise of the pure horror which waited to tear her heart asunder the moment it was done – biting her lower lip so hard that she tasted blood, she tried to keep imprisoned the scream of anguish that threatened to rip apart her throat. _Tails, I'm sorry…I never wanted you to see something like this! And for it to have been __me__ who…__please forgive me__!!_

Yet The Princess was not destined to take down the human with one deadly blast, extinguish his life just as easily as a burning candle-wick, become a killer that day…

"Pardon _me_…" boomed a deep rumbling voice.

The look of surprise which caused Robotnik's visage to stretch like a rubbery mask was enough to set Sonic snickering away – the human's face looked so downright idiotic that the hedgehog really couldn't help it.

Ari cracked his gauntlet-encased knuckles as the subjugated sadist's head turned slowly to acknowledge his presence, "…but so do _bad_." The ram concluded in a distinctly matter-of-fact tone of voice before swinging a right-hook that slammed into the human's face with the impact of a falling security-safe.

Robotnik pitched backwards, the rifle slipping from his grasp like water, as his nose exploded like a violently squeezed tomato – Sonic was fortunately able to recover his scattered wits just in time to roll clear of the vast mass that came crashing down upon the space he had just vacated. "Yo, Ari!" the hedgehog exclaimed as he leapt to his feet, immediately beginning to rev up. "On the _Smooth_ _Save O-Meter_, I'd say that'cha just scored yaself 100! Thanks dude, way to go! Now let's jet! Oh and, Ro_butt_nik? Please, don't get up! Uh…Ari?"

Ari was barely listening - as he glared down his snout at the vanquished enemy, the vast black rage once more came bubbling dangerously near to the surface. And as it filled him like festering bile, the ram was wracked by an almost overwhelming urge to claim the fallen rifle and pick up directly from where he and the human had been forced to leave off.

The fantasy was insidious…and also disturbingly satisfying.

The menacingly soft hum of scorching laser-whips wielded by metal hands, the endless echo of cries of anguished suffering, his own father's dying gasp…the horror and torment of years spent slaving away in the suffocating darkness of one of Doctor Robotnik's energy-crystal mines in the north, all of it now forced its way into the ram's mind and whirled until they blurred into a black, blue, broken and bloody mosaic of sheer hell.

As though under their own power, Ari's lips drew back over his clenched teeth in a silent snarl – that endless nightmare he had been forced to endure, day after day, until family and friends had all been torn violently away from him.

And here lay the source of the hell. At his hoofed feet. At his mercy.

Fortunately for the human, and himself as he would later realise, Ari was pulled back from that dizzying brink by the voice of his friend – breathing heavily, as though emerging from a deep feverish slumber, the ram turned a sidelong look toward the hedgehog. That flinty eye appeared oddly dull as a burning sense of shame struck its owner – in the anger which he only now began slowly to let go of, the ram had forgotten the entire reason for which this battle had been fought. Ari didn't need to look over his broad shoulder to realise that Tails was staring breathlessly at him – had the ram not turned back from the rage, those widened young eyes would have witnessed every second of the terrible act which he had come so very near to committing. And to steal the innocence away from a kid no older than he had been when the robotic soldiers had come and destroyed his village would have reduced him to the level of the very evil he despised with all his heart, opposed with every ounce of strength in his sinewy body. Robotnik was vile, Robotnik deserved to die…but Tails did not deserve to be forced to watch as one of the adults whom he looked up to committed murder. _Dad, don't you see? I can't do it. I just can't…not at that price. It's one that I'd never be able to pay for as long as I live… _"Sure thing, Sonic." He answered flatly, his voice emotionlessly gruff. No more than Princess Sally, would Ari taint his paws that day – for the sake of fragile innocence, the ram let go and turned his back on the lust for revenge. "Sure thing."

Sally felt the sigh of relief long before it passed her lips as Sonic streaked toward the rest of the group, Ari lumbering in his wake – as she turned to check on the rest of her troops, the squirrel noticed that Tails had finally been relinquished by a tactful Bunnie. A quick and anxious inspection assured her that the fox-cub appeared none the worse for wear – apart from that scowl which, just like his earlier attitude, Sally did not like one bit. "Tails." Her voice was quiet, her tone one of acknowledgement rather than question.

Tails turned to find her gazing upon him, in her calm and steady eyes something strange – it was something the fox-cub had never seen there before, something which he could not even begin to identify, something which made him feel uncomfortable as she appraised him. "Sally…" he began, his voice trailing away into uncertain silence.

Sally's eyes looked him over for another moment – when at last they looked into his, the expression on her face was one of utmost gravity. "Are you all right?" She asked, simply and to the point.

Tails felt his dark displeasure ebb as he wondered just what was going on here. _Why isn't she…? _"Don't worry about me." He told her, his tone one of earnestness rather than bravado. "I'm just fine."

Sally's lips parted, quivering – she seemed about to take a step toward him before stopping herself suddenly. After taking a deep breath, she pursed her lips together and gave him a prim nod. "Good." She said coolly – and that was that.

With just one word, she had turned from him and was readying herself to take charge of the situation – no tight hug, no smile of affection, not even any warm assurance that everything would be okay. Tails stared at her slender back, bafflement in his light-blue eyes – had he blinked and missed something just then?

It was as though a kind of window had closed between the fox-cub and the squirrel – what it was made out of, Tails didn't know, but it was definitely _there._ And to his mind it seemed that this strange division between the two of them was but a temporary substitute for something else – something which even now was building between them, heading toward some inevitable moment. And when the moment was reached, the intangible window shattered…

"Heeey theeere, T2!" came a hearty hail as Sonic reunited with his little brother - as Tails turned to meet the hedgehog, his answering grin was more _half_-hearted. The uncontrollable fear which had frozen him remained fresh in his mind, inducing a squirm as he wondered just how Sonic would have reacted had he known about it. "Lookin' _good_!" as he spoke, the hedgehog made as though to high-five the fox-cub – as Tails' paw moved in, however, he flipped his own just out of reach. "But not as good as _the ol' hedgehog_!"

As Sonic laughed and gave his gloved paw a resounding slap, Tails' eyes shone with warm humour. "More like 'no _worse_ than the old hedgehog'." Muttered the fox-cub as he eyed that blood-soaked bandanna, already _dying_ to know just what his big brother had been up to.

Casting her gaze all around, Sally saw that the remains of the vanquished SWATbots lay scattered far and wide. _We won… _The Freedom Fighters had been forced into their darkest corner and, against all odds, emerged triumphant. _…we won! _

There was a flash of bedazzling gold and, like some kind of robotic genie who had just emerged from his cybernetic lamp, The Speed Bot was suddenly standing by her side.

"Yo, Speedy!" smirked Sonic, "Cut it kinda close didn'cha?"

The Speed Bot responded to this good-natured ribbing with a mere flick of his mechanical tail – idly, he wondered whether the hedgehog had ever heard of _fashionable_ lateness.

As she held the laser-rifle under her arm and eyed the great cat, Sally felt curiously divided between wariness and security. It was bizarre that she should derive the latter from his close proximity to her. He was after all one of Robotnik's mechanical creations, another of the lifeless things that had for so long meant death or far worse for The Princess and her surrogate family. And yet…there something, _yes_, extremely fortifying about him as he stood there in silence.

What was stranger still was that, as she gazed imperiously into those proud and irreverent amethyst eyes, Sally's immediate reaction was to think about a certain blue hedgehog – and it wasn't that she desired in any way to deny the walrus his due, but she found herself wondering whether The Speed Bot's actions today had been driven by the influence of Sonic rather than Rotor.

_Can an AI evolve…like a real personality?_ "Is everybody all right?" The Princess asked, her voice brisk and direct – there was a general nod in response. The Speed Bot remained silent as ever, whatever thoughts may be his filed and locked away within his own mind. "That's great." A spark of light resonating in her blue eyes, Sally felt her face setting into a smile of pure determination. _We're going to get out of here… _"Sonic…?" there was an unvoiced question in her voice as she addressed the hedgehog.

It was the same question at the fore of each of the other Freedom Fighters' minds as they stared intently at the hedgehog – Bunnie was actually holding her breath though she bore every appearance of calm as she awaited the answer to the question which burned a fiery imprint of itself into her mind.

For a long moment, Sonic seemed not to have an answer for his tense comrades – and then, just as Sally was beginning to expect the worst, the hedgehog gave them all an extravagant thumbs-up. "Out in the street, Sal. I left Ant an' Rote ta' keep guard over it." He grinned serenely.

The way that Sally's eyes shone made the hedgehog think of the stars shining against a peaceful midsummer sky – it was just such a smile. "Then we are _out_ of here!" the squirrel exclaimed, now exuding an aura of action. _…we can do it! _"Let's go! Sonic, lead the way!"

As far as Sonic was concerned, to hear was to obey – The Freedom Fighters eagerly turned and ran from that place without further delay, four of them in the wake of the one who soared like a rocket. The speeding hedgehog was joined quickly by what appeared for all of Mobius to be the flaming tail of a comet – side-by-side, Sonic and The Speed Bot blazed twin trails through the south-western alleyway.

The attention of The Freedom Fighters was transfixed by the way to escape from this insanity – it was natural, then, that not one of them happened to take the briefest of upward glances. And so none of the fugitives from injustice was ever aware of the presence of the lone Spy Eye which had hovered overhead, transmitting footage of the entire confrontation to a certain surveillance-screen – that every uttered word and committed act of the last half-hour had been laid bare to the scrutiny of a pair of calculating eyes watching them all from Command Central, The Freedom Fighters never dreamed.

As it happened, Tails cast a glance back over his shoulder – as his eyes fell upon the battered and bruised mound of flesh that had been his tormentor, the fox-cub winced and flicked them back toward the alleyway. Chilled to the very bone, he was absolutely sure that sleep would not come to him easily that night.

And he had no idea just how right he was…

It dawned gradually on the mind of Doctor Robotnik, as he lay upon the ground like an upended tortoise, that it was _over_ – silence, hard as marble and cold as ice in its utter completeness, had descended over the court like a sheet over a bird-cage.

Whatever the outcome had proven to be, whichever side had ultimately prevailed, the battle was done.

Taking the greatest possible care with the mammoth bag of aching bones and sprained muscle that was his body, The Doctor raised himself into a sitting-position – as he brought a gloved hand to that bald head, whereupon a formation of lumps had formed like potatoes in a vegetable-garden, the human raised his left eyelid just as methodically as a connoisseur of fine dining would have opened the shell of an oyster.

The spectacle that seemed to slam into it was one of total desolation – what had recently been an area of plain (if a _lot_ on the gritty side) concrete was now riddled with cracks and small craters, the formerly still (if more than a little _rank_) air now polluted by sickening fumes. And though this general ruination alone had not been sufficiently over-excessive, the ground was littered with numerous pieces of mutilated SWATbot, lending strength to the illusion that this court was being transformed into a kind of Neo Dumping-Zone.

It came barely as a surprise to the increasingly morose Doctor that the precise instant at which he decided that nothing could possibly compound the sheer wretchedness of this day was followed by the precise instance at which _he _appeared to disprove the notion. Ixis Naugus' face wore the irked expression of a tenacious sales-person, bemused to have offered what he personally considered a mutually gratifying bargain only for his client to have slammed the door rudely in his face. "Curse it." grunted the sorcerer, running that claw through his beard in irritation. "Such a parcel of fuss over one confounded canine!"

Doctor Robotnik felt as though he would explode – in the subsequent second, he practically did. And in the hours of miserable ruefulness yet to follow, he would marvel dolefully that he had dared give passage to the words which rose to his mouth like scorching lava to the peak of a volcano. At that future moment, he would suppose that his enraged frustration over having come so close to avenging himself at last upon The Freedom Fighters had been vast enough to temporarily overcome the inhibitive fear that months of the sorcerer's sadistic mastery had ingrained into his tormented psyche – by that moment, he would long have cursed this moment of _un_inhibited _wrath_.

At this present moment, however, it really was beyond his power to prevent. Had there been a handle of any kind nearby, he would have flown so high from it that he would have gone into orbit. Had the court been covered by a roof then it would have broken to smithereens as he hit it. As it happened, there did seem to be a considerable quantity of redness in the vicinity – and as he set eyes upon Naugus, the centre-piece of this exquisite display of just how much could possibly go horribly wrong in a single day, Doctor Robotnik saw every last inch of it. And it made him think about blood. "You_…you_…_you senile old ignoramus_!! _You ulcer-ridden old incompetent_!! _You confounded old stage-hog_!!"

Naugus' eyebrows rose to form a point perhaps so fine as to pierce the fabric of reality itself, "_What_?" the sorcerer's sharp hiss sounded like that of an old serpent whose tail had just been twisted. "_What_ did you say?"

Far too engulfed by rage to be intimidated by the clear signs of the wrath gathering in the sorcerer's slowly shifting expression, Robotnik snarled savagely – what with his blazing eyes, bedraggled moustache and bald head, The Doctor looked remarkably like a particularly large dog descending into insanity as he tragically lost his fur. "You heard me! Had you only left well enough alone, The Princess would lie dead now at my feet and the morale of The Freedom Fighters in utter ruin!" as he paced and ranted, the human raised his clenched fists as though he was milking an invisible cow which levitated in the air. The circumstance that it had been _he_ at _The Freedom Fighters_' mercy before the sorcerer's intervention seemed lost on him – or perhaps it was merely that he had _remembered_ to _forget_. "But _no_! You just _had_ to blunder onto the scene and attempt to impress with your ridiculous parlour-tricks!"

Robotnik could have gone on – he most definitely _would_ have gone on were it not for the way that those cold eyes penetrated his aura of fury like an icy blade, freezing instantly the blazing stream of invective. Like a rodent swallowed alive, terror clawed at the lining of his stomach as he realised what he had brought upon himself – and as mortal fear enveloped him like the fist of the mythical frost-giant, Ymir, the moment of transient rebellion was quenched.

As Naugus broke his silence at last, the words he uttered were as black putrefaction creeping through a slice of fruit. "The lesson in appreciation was not well learnt, I perceive. I am a patient soul, Doctor…but not _unduly_ patient. Patience is the element which causes the milk of kindness to _sour_…whereas the undeniable potency of the _rod_ only _grows_ with the passing of time." As though to lend ominous emphasis to the point, that hideous visage twisted into a grin that grew more sadistically cruel with each second that passed. The next hour or so promised to be most enjoyable indeed – just like his unwilling lackey, the sorcerer's chagrin over the failure to capture The Princess burned so deeply that it felt indeed like an ulcer. _Unlike_ the human, however, Naugus intended to cope with his disappointed frustration by throwing it into short sweet _sharp _relief. "I must confess to feeling _hurt_ by the revelation that you should regard my magic as 'ridiculous'. And _yet_…there _is_ a spell which may leave a _much_ stronger impression upon you. Oh _yes_, Doctor…a _much_ stronger impression by _far_." As that familiar tingle coursed through his old body, so re-invigorating that it might have been a magic all of its own, the sorcerer felt disgruntlement over the departure of his 'guests' fading already – there was, after all, always _tomorrow_. And having been so privileged as to glimpse _that child_, cherished so deeply by The Princess who didn't even dream of his true value, Naugus was already planning for his _next_ meeting with The Freedom Fighters. At the moment, however, he was willing to settle for a spot of creative stress-management. "For you see, it is a spell that shall induce _you_ to _spin_ on your _nose_!"

And the manner in which his arms rose as he spoke, served to communicate that this was a spell the sorcerer simply could not wait to cast - Robotnik cringed in the face of this latest humiliating degradation. Knowing full well that there was no escape from the inevitable, the human tried to crawl like a whipped cur from his master's boot.

_No…_

Like an ill wind, that hateful cackle followed him; "I would just like to assure you that this shan't hurt one bit…though that is merely due to the fact that _I am an incurable __liar_!!"

_...no..._

The hours of rueful misery now commenced.

_...__no__!!_

* * *

Antoine had spent the last fifteen minutes pacing up and down in front of his charge; to whit, the wooden cart which had been brought so far and through such peril that day. On the coyote's yellowy face there was a look of inordinate anxiety which only grew more pronounced with each passing moment. In accordance to the swiftly delivered instructions of Sonic and with the reliable assistance of Rotor, Antoine had dragged the cart into the street located directly south of The Rendezvous Point – the mission he had since shared with his whisker-faced comrade was to guard the cart and its precious yet awful cargo at whatever cost.

As he had performed this weighty task, the coyote had also done his very best to ignore the almost overwhelming yearning to abandon it entirely; the urge to charge through the alleyway so tantalising near at hand, to join the epic clash which he had been able to hear raging beyond, had been almost too great for him to bear. The sole reason for this desire to abdicate his responsibility in order to do something so immensely contrary to his basic nature was very simple; it was _her_.

The mere presence of the unspeakable thing ensconced upon the back of the cart, this nightmarish abomination, made Antoine sick to the very bottom of his stomach – from every corner of his heart of hearts, he loathed it for what it had done to countless innocent Mobians. For what it had done to _her_. And therein lay the bitterest of ironies; this was the very thing the coyote had sworn to defend with his life. What this infernal machine had done, this infernal machine might yet be able to _undo_ – regardless of the many atrocties that it had wreaked over the last ten years, this evil abomination may yet be turned to good.

And it was for this reason that Antoine Depardiue's devotion to duty held so true now – for if he were to surrender to the desperate longing to go to the defence of the one dearest to him and that moment of supreme weakness were to cost the long awaited salvation of millions of innocent souls, Mobius would never forgive him. And if that same weakness should rob his dearest of release from the nightmare in which she'd lived for far too long now…then the coyote would never forgive _himself_.

The guardsman's painful adherence to duty was now rewarded – as he raised his paw to tug listlessly at a gleaming brass button, forgetful at the moment that this was simply no longer possible, Antoine was immersed so deeply in anxious worry that he did not notice the fact that the sounds of battle had died away. It was the new sound that reached his ears which alerted him to the fact that the situation was now changed; the sound of rushing footsteps.

Sharp as a brand-new toothpick, Antoine looked up…to see the group of figures now emerging from the darkness of the alleyway. And among them the figure of a rabbit whose face was adorned by a smile so radiant that it was as though the sun had returned to this city of eternal night – as she called out to the two of them, each word rang like a verse from a song of pure loveliness.

"Hi there! Ya'll doin' okay?"

Antoine was not simply happy as his ears pricked up in response to that wonderful voice – the coyote was so _incredibly_ happy that he could have taken to the air and flown. As he ran to meet the rabbit, he was ready to take her into his arms and never let go – as decorum and propriety reared their hideous joy-killing heads, however, the coyote stumbled to a halt. "H-hem!" raising a paw to his mouth, he issued an awkward cough. "I am meaning to say that it is most pleased I am being to be seeing that you are…"

Bunnie just laughed merrily in the face of his pathological prudishness – the next thing the coyote knew, her arms encircled him and he was in the warm closeness of her embrace. And in spite of the fact that they were both far from the safety of Knothole and standing in the dark dangerous depths of Robotropolis…there was nowhere, nowhere at all, that Antoine would rather have been than _here_ with _her_ right _now_. "Aw, Antoine!" her voice was like molten chocolate as she breathed the words into his ear which tingled in response. "Ah thought that Ah would nevah see ya'll again! Ah'm so verah happy that ya'll are safe!"

Antoine gazed at the rabbit in crimson-cheeked shock – could this actually be happening? Could he be standing in her arms, listening as she told him just how much she cared for him? "B-Bunnee…" stammered the coyote, his throat having somehow grown as dry as baked earth within the last second or two. "…f-for real and for t-true?"

As she tilted back her head in order to regard him from a whole new perspective, Bunnie's smile seemed to weave an enchantment of calmness over the coyote. "For _real_, Antoine." She breathed, the way in which her lips quivered suggesting that she wanted to do so much _more_ than smile for him – yet she abstained for the present, knowing that what they needed to be doing was concentrating on getting out of here. There would be so much time and so many ways for her to convey just what Antoine meant to her…just as soon as they were away from this hell. "For _true_."

As he felt like the luckiest Mobian alive, Antoine broke slowly into a flushed grin. "Magni_fique_…" he murmured, at a total loss for words as his insides turned as warm and fuzzy as the cheek of a healthy walrus.

Speaking of whom, Rotor's blubbery face grinned welcomingly as the rest of The Freedom Fighters came running over. "Sonic!" he exclaimed, his face reddening as he realised in advance the sheer obviousness of the observation he was about to make. "You're back!"

As Sonic dug his heels into the ground, a screech resembling that of a braking train rose to set the collective teeth of The Freedom Fighters on end – a grin of exhilaration was already spreading across his muzzle as he ground to a halt directly in front of the cart. "Slap me some skin, Wonder Walrus." He drawled as he held out a gloved paw with the palm turned upward, his tone so laid-back that it would most certainly have secured with the greatest ease first place in the World Champion Limbo Tournament – as the gratified mechanic raised his paw to accept the prestigious social honour, however, the hedgehog yanked his own away. "Too slow, too _bad_!" he broke apart with laughter as he thrust it forward again, allowing it to connect this time with that belonging to his friend. "Nah, jus' kiddin', Rote! We _rocked_ back there! Yo Tails!" the hedgehog's tone was one of camaraderie as he turned to hail the youngest Freedom Fighter, "We _rocked_, am I _right_?"

As the fox-cub responded merely with the vaguest of shrugs, Rotor's eyes brightened at the sight of him. "How's it going there, Tails?"

Tails had been staring at the reunited Bunnie and Antoine, a sour smirk warping his muzzle – it quickly faded as he turned his attention toward the walrus. "_Fine_." He said flatly as he folded his arms, "Everything that _possibly_ could be fine _is_ fine. So how did _your_ day go?"

Rotor gave a startled blink. "Oh, we only got to tangle with one _seriously mega-uber_ _SWATbot_…" The walrus replied mildly though he still gazed curiously at the cub – granted they were right in the middle of enemy territory with the enemy himself breathing down the backs of their respective necks but they were together, weren't they? So, seriously, what was the fox's problem? "…_and_ find _The Roboticizer_ along the way."

Tails' eyes narrowed into slits as he turned abruptly from the walrus, "Gee! _I _got to have the crap scared out of me by Robotnik, keep quiet and listen like a good boy while everyone argued over me for about ten minutes, then get saved like a total lummox!" the fox didn't actually _say_ any of this – but the bitterness about his look told clearly that every bit of it was exactly what he _thought_.

As she'd watched the moment of tenderness between Bunnie and Antoine, Sally had worn a beaming smile – though the rabbit's almost limitless supply of merry cheer had always kept the spirits of those around her as high and bright as the sun in the sky, the squirrel felt a wonderful satisfaction as she witnessed her friend experience true happiness of her very own. _Oh Bunnie…I'm so very glad for you. After all that you've been through and done for the rest of us, you of all people deserve such joy._ As she diverted the path of her eyes, the emotion which they expressed became something altogether different – as she gazed now at the cargo of the wooden cart, her eyes glimmered with equal measures of elation and revulsion. "The Roboticizer…" The Princess barely recognised the sound of her own voice as she uttered that accursed word – had anybody suggested prior to this day that she would ever be glad to set eyes upon this metallic monstrosity, she would have believed that person insane. "…we actually have it!"

Bunnie froze as though the warmth she had just felt had been overcast suddenly by the bitter chill of a midwinter night – disengaging gently from Antoine, she turned her gaze toward the cart. Those vibrant green eyes grew as dull as misted windows as she saw it – the rabbit had known that they were going after it today. Yet as she gazed at The Roboticizer, her blood was turned to crimson ice. Every second that Bunnie's eyes remained transfixed by that mockingly beautiful crystal lens, a work of perverted genius, brought it all back to her; the memories she had tried so hard to forget were now staining her psyche like blood from an infected wound. Her shoulders actually shook as it all came flooding back, hitting her with the crashing impact of a tidal-wave; the pain, _blinding pain_, which seemed to tear apart her nerve-endings and muscles as it flowed slowly (oh so _slowly_) up both her legs and through her left arm…before sweet _release_ had come.

Sally cursed herself for having inadvertently caused her friend to relive that waking nightmare, "Oh _Bunnie_!" she murmured wretchedly, "I…"

Bunnie silenced the contrite squirrel with but a gaze – light had returned to those eyes which blazed like emerald fire, reflecting the bionic belle's indomitable spirit. "Don't say it, Sally Girl." She told The Princess simply, "It had t' happen sometime…and as a matter of fact, Ah'm glad that it did."

Sally's eyes expressed pure surprise, "You're…glad to see this horrible thing again?"

Bunnie's face was solemn as she nodded, "Some inner demons ya'll just have t' face up t'." she explained, "And _this_ lil' devil…" she jerked a disgusted shoulder toward The Roboticizer, "…is certainly one o' them. Lookin' at it now…Ah see that it's nothin' for me to be bein' afraid of. It's just an ol' machine…only as wicked as the one decidin' t' use it that way. Well…now it's _us_ that has it. And maybe, just _maybe_, we can use our ol' noggins t' turn it into an _angel_ for the poor souls who weren't as fortunate as me who had her best friends t' save her."

Sally gazed at the rabbit, deeply affected by the words she had just spoken. "Bunnie." She breathed, suddenly realising just how incredibly proud she was to have the rabbit as her friend.

Her attention was diverted by a perceptibly audible grunt – looking over her shoulder, she saw that Ari had his brawny arms folded across his armour-plated chest. "Not to sound rude, Princess…but I've really got to say that there's one machine I _didn't_ expect to see here right now." The ram observed, his eyes staring coldly at The Speed Bot.

As the golden mecha repaid that look of utter distrust with one of cool indifference, Sonic leapt to interject. "Woah there, Ari! Take a chill pill! Ol' Speedy here's on the side of right now…uh, meaning _us_!"

Far from softening with new understanding, Ari's eyes grew harder with hostility – too many years the ram had spent living in fear of all things created by Robotnik, far too many from him even to begin to feel the slightest degree of trust in regard to a machine. "Still looks like one of _them_ to me." He replied bluntly.

Sally opened her mouth to counter the ram's words of suspicion – she could not deceive herself that she felt no unease whatsoever in his presence but, for the love of Mobius, The Speed Bot had saved Tails' _life_!

That sharp reprimand never left the squirrel's lips, however - for as the insinuation hung like misted breath in the air, it was joined by a velvet voice. "Yuh _know_…maybe we ought t' pay close attention t' Ari's words o' wisdom." To the general surprise of The Freedom Fighters, it was Bunnie who made this remark – as her eyes twinkled up at the ram, however, it seemed that what she'd _said_ and what she _meant_ were two very different things. "After all…if _he_ doesn't believe in second chances then who are _we_ t' disagree?"

Transfering their gazes from the face of Bunnie to that of Ari, The Freedom Fighters received a rare visual treat – the cheeks of the doughty ram were coloured red by an abashed blush. _Hmm…if I didn't know better, I'd say that this little lady just put me in my place. _"I'm…going to shut up now." He conceded.

Further discourse was suddenly taken off the agenda – for it was at this precise moment that a nerve-rending shriek resonated through the air. As the rest of their comrades winced horribly, Sonic and Sally exchanged looks of apprehension – both knew what now headed in their direction. As well as what must be done.

Sally thought swiftly, pragmatically, decisively. And as she did, the situation was reduced to a very simple equation; the mission on which rested the salvation of the damned was now close to glorious success yet also perilously near to bitter failure. In simple terms, the cart's cargo _had_ to get back to Knothole, whatever the _cost_ of the 'getting' might be – even as she came to this conclusion, the squirrel was opening her mouth. There was no other way. "_Sonic_…" she began, her tone already faltering as she wondered how she could have the nerve to ask that he risk his life again so soon after he'd saved hers.

Sonic reached over, taking the squirrel's paw into his own with a gentleness so unlike him that she would firmly have believed it a trick of her imagination had it not been reflected in his eyes. As he held it, Sonic felt as though he and Sally stood again beneath that star-filled sky. Again he saw turmoil in her beautiful eyes. Again he was ready to do anything to make it depart. "_Sal_…" He smirked, his manner confident to the point of fearless…fearless to the point of pure craziness. "…ya know that I'll always have ya back. Always." Feeling as though he could have held on forever, the hedgehog released her paw. "Grab the cart an' hit the alleyways – lie low while I lead 'em away. When ya good ta' go, _blow_ this bogus scene!"

A glint of gold caught the corner of his eye - glancing across his shoulder, he saw The Speed Bot coming purposefully toward him. As the great cat's body moved with mesmerising grace, the hedgehog's smirk grew. "Ya gonna be stickin' faster ta' me than a tin-can ta' a magnet, huh?" The Speed Bot planted a metal forepaw between himself and the hedgehog in a silent yet emphatic gesture – it was clear as those amethyst eyes that he wasn't going to leave Sonic's side until his thirst for a rematch had been quenched. "Fine with me." The hedgehog nonchalantly shrugged as he turned and looked at his assembled friends, meeting each set of eyes in turn – as he looked at the smallest face, his face broke into a grin. "Yo, T2!" Tails gave a visible start and looked up to see Sonic flash him a thumbs-up followed by a conspiratorial wink. "Gotta juice! Hey, look after Sal for me while I'm gone, huh? See on the flipside!"

Tails was only just able to suppress the urge he felt to scowl – hadn't he _tried_ to defend Sally when Robotnik had taunted her? Hadn't he even _tried_ to sacrifice himself in order to secure her freedom? And what had all of it gotten him other than _patronised_ and _belittled_…treated like a _child_?

In their own unique ways, the other Freedom Fighters bade goodbye for the present to Sonic – a second later, so quickly that a single blink would have caused them to miss it entirely, the hedgehog was gone from their midst. And he was not alone – with the hedgehog went The Speed Bot whose powerful paws pounded the ground in a display of agility at utter odds with his large and seemingly cumbersome body.

The Freedom Fighters watched in awe as the two raced straight toward approaching danger for the second time that day, a blue blur and a streak of gold surging side-by-side over the horizon, a pair of warriors whom fate had brought together to create an unbeatable force. The wind carried the after-thought fired back over the hedgehog's shoulder – since he was long gone by the time his voice reached the others, it sounded eerily as though the spirit of the hedgehog now haunted the street on which they had last seen him;

"_Meeet'chaaa aaat the __weest gaaate_…!"

Sally could have remained where she stood, as though she were watching as a great ship took the one whom she cherished most across a vast ocean and away, perhaps forever. Had she been alone in this grim street, perhaps she would have done just that. Knowing that her present obligation resided with her comrades, however, it was with a heavy heart that she turned to address them all._ Duty first, Your Highness… _the squirrel thought as steely resolve set in, flashing in her clear eyes – with her back poised straight and the laser-rifle cradled beneath one arm, she could have been taken more easily for a War General than a Princess. _…and, if any harm should come to Sonic, __justice later!_The remaining Freedom Fighters now stood in a straight line, awaiting her instructions in tense silence. "We go." The Princess bade, her tone decisive. "Ari; you pull the cart. Bring it through _that_ _alleyway_."

The brawny ram nodded his horned head and walked forward – in his right paw was a length of rope, the end of which he began to tie to the thick iron ring that hung from the front of the cart. Strong paws made light work and within seconds, it was ready – it was strange but as he held the end of the strong chord in both paws, Ari experienced something that he didn't find pleasant in the least. Gritting his teeth, he shut his mind as tightly he could against the rising memories of enslavement. This thing behind him was the wooden cart that they'd brought with them from Knothole, not one of the metal mining-carts he had once pushed back and forth all day long, every day of the week._ Put your mind __and__ back where they both __belong__, Ari…_ And by pulling it _back_ to the hidden village, he would also bring Mobius one great step closer toward freedom from the evil that had long oppressed it. _…on the __task at hand!_

"Bunnie, _you're_ on point with _me_." The rabbit gave Sally a smile of complete support, "Rotor and Antoine, _you_ both cover the _rear_." The walrus and the coyote both saluted smartly. (Sally was so anxious about Sonic that she wouldn't have minded a single jot had he been on-hand to make a joke about Antoine covering _his own_ rear…) The Princess' attention came last of all to Tails who stood wondering just what his orders were to be. After a moment's uncertainty, she gave a decisive click of the tongue and enlightened him. "_Tails_...get onto the back of the cart and try to stay out of sight."

Tails' mouth set into a look of dogged ('foxed'?) defiance as he heard this. _Stay down and keep quiet while she and the others run risks? Is she joking? _As a matter of fact, he'd actually more than half expected something like it and so his reply came easily. "I can keep up with the rest of you just fine, Sally." He said stubbornly. _Why do I even need to say this? Come __on__…I can __fly!_"Besides, Sonic told me to…"

Another infuriatingly dismissive shake of the head, "Tails, you can '_look after me_' best by doing exactly as I say so that I won't have to worry about…" Sally responded with all the patience she still could muster.

"You _won't_ have to…"

Sally's eyes flashed like diamonds as her patience, which had been wearing down like a pumice-stone, vanished entirely – she didn't have time for this. "It's _not optional_, mister!" she snapped, to her voice a harshness that she had never before used with the cub. "It's _an_ _order_!"

Tails' own eyes hardened, burning with a glare that _he_ had never before given _her_. _Why is she trying to __humiliate__ me like this?! _It was as though something had broken between the fox-cub and his 'Aunt' at that point. "You don't _own_ me!" he spat, now openly and recklessly defiant.

Bunnie just had to laugh at the sight of the astonished look which now spread across Sally's face, "Darlin'…" the rabbit drawled as she leaned over to the fox-cub – her cybernetic fingers closing gently and carefully around the bases of both bushy appendages, she lifted him from the ground as easily and effortlessly as she would a stuffed toy. "…we're rentin' ya'll for the next seven years! Now hush up and come along, Sugah! No more Sally Baitin' 'til we're back in Knothole!"

As her best girlfriend walked over to deposit the clearly fuming cub in the cart, Sally stared silently after them both. _What… _The squirrel felt disturbed and somewhat shaken as the downright hostile look that Tails had given her was reflected in her mind's eye. _…was __that__ about?! _She slowly shook her head as though trying to free herself from a hypnotic trance – as she had earlier told herself, there was just no time now.

As Tails was plopped neatly onto the cart, Ari flashed a grin back at him. "Strap yourself in…" the ram bantered as he readied himself to move toward the mouth of the waiting alleyway. "…and enjoy the ride, son!"

Tails stared at the mechanical components which lay scattered around him – the mere sight of The Roboticizer, even in a state of semi-dismantlement, sent an uncontrollable shudder running through him. And here he was sharing a cart with this thing of evil, this thing that had once come so very near to destroying his life. _Wow…doesn't get much more messed up than __this._ His muttered response to Ari's comment was so bitter that each word actually left a nasty taste in his mouth, "I think I've been taken for one of those _already_…"

Seconds later, The Freedom Fighters emerged from the alleyway and onto the next street. Her keen ears not catching the telltale shriek of aerial-assault bots, Sally concluded that the high-speed duo had succeeded in diverting their pursuers - in what was partially an attempt to find someplace for she and her comrades to hide and partially an attempt to distract her mind from images of the potential horrific fates which might befall Sonic, The Princess cast her eyes right and then left.

And her gaze fell upon the broad double-doors set into the front of the building that stood in the near distance, almost calling out to her in a silent yet tempting offer of sanctuary. _A warehouse! _In the days that were to follow, Sally would wonder whether her glimpse of this particular building had been wretched coincide or an exceptionally cruel joke which fate had chosen to play at her expense – at the time, however, The Princess naturally took it at face value. _Perfect! _"Ari!" she called back to the ram, her decision coming as easily as a puzzle-piece slipping into its correct place. "We're headed for that warehouse just up ahead!"

Ari issued what began as a grunt of stoic assent only to end up as one of irritation as one of the back-wheels of the cart struck a bump into the road, "Dang…" muttered the ram, hunching his shoulders in readiness to surmount this new impediment.

The experience of having been flung to the bottom of the cart, picking up a bump on the head and a generous helping of splinters along the way, did very little to brighten Tails' disposition – as he steadied himself upon one knee and rubbed a paw against the side of his now aching head, the fox-cub was unable to hold back the remark which sprang to his scowling lips;

"Hey, Ari! Shame you're not a _crab_…at least _they_ know how to walk in a straight line!"

As this cutting comment reached his ears, Ari gave a startled blink – as the ram looked back over a broad shoulder, the fox-cub could not help but quail inwardly. He already half regretted having opened his mouth - and the manner in which the ram now stared back at him, one eye squinting quizzically, made him wonder whether a cuffed ear was heading his way. "You _what_?" Ari said slowly, as though unable to quite grasp what he'd just heard. "Say that again?"

Tails gave a dry gulp, "I said…that a crab could do a better job of pulling this thing than you." He reiterated, keeping his voice as steady and audible as possible.

Ari continued to stare at the cub in that same unnervingly inscrutable way – then, just as fox was bracing himself, the ram gave a sudden snort. "You little brat!" with a good-natured chuckle, he turned his attention back to the task at hand – with one powerful heft, the heavily laden cart was over the obstruction.

Left once more to his own devices, Tails experienced all at once a myriad of emotions. First of all there was relief over the ram's lack of anger. Next there came a stab of shame over having been so inexcusably rude, a shame which only intensified as he thought about what Sally would have said had she heard him. Yet the apology that he opened his mouth in order to utter was never heard – with the thought of Sally came the third and most overwhelming emotion. Anger over not having been taken seriously but laughed off as a cheeky kid – as it set in, Tails' lips were most decidedly sealed.

As they followed the cart's ever lengthening trail, Rotor and Antoine both exchanged a meaningful glance – they had overheard the little exchange between fox and ram. "What flea is there being in _his_ ear?" the coyote speculated, nodding his yellowy head in the direction of the cart's only passenger.

At loss for an answer, Rotor merely shrugged – his brow was knitted as he stared at the back of the youngest Freedom Fighter's head.

Now by this time, Sally and Bunnie both stood directly in front of the set of double-doors – the foremost striking aspect of them was what must once had been a coat of green paint. Having peeled to such an extent over the passage of time, it had been reduced to sparse and sickly patches which remained clinging stubbornly and in doing so gave the pair of wooden vertices the illusion of suffering from a 'venereal' kind of leprosy. _'Wooden'…?_ The Princess did a double-take as she spotted the second-most noteworthy aspect of the double-doors, "Bunnie…" as she spoke, the squirrel turned to gaze at her cyborg friend. "…would you care to do the honours?"

Bunnie assumed an expression so charmingly self-conscious that The Princess didn't buy it for the duration of a heartbeat, "Aw _golly_…do ya'll really think that an elegant lil' thing like _me_ can handle somethin' like this, Sally Girl?" she inquired, her worried tone clashing blatantly with the teasing sparkle in those clear green eyes.

Even though her love was facing death for all their sakes, Sally found herself smiling – Bunnie simply had the ability to lighten even the darkest mood. "_Oh_…on consideration, I rather believe that you _might_ just be able to manage." She bantered.

Bunnie giggled as she raised a soft finger to her lips, "Sally Girl, ya'll could charm the salt right out o' the ol' sea! Well in _that_ case…" leaving this sentence doomed to a state of incompletion, the rabbit extended her less congenial paw – barely a moment later, a thick and heavy wooden bar hit the ground with a dull thud and the doors which they had held securely in place swung open with a creak of complaint.

The smell of a decade's worth of dust was so overpowering as it was released to the open air that Sally's initial reaction was to take a step back – her second was to contemplate that a single step might perhaps not be far enough. All of a sudden in fact, The Princess got the strong feeling that she and the others would do much better to turn around and put as great a distance as possible between themselves and that dark doorway. The pungent aroma was not all that wafted from out of the lurking shadows – there was something else too, something that hit Sally harder than the fist of the SWATbot which might be concealed inside. A feeling of great apprehension, a foreboding far darker than the awaiting shadows – then and there, with inexplicable and unmistakable conviction, The Princess' heart told her that going into this place would be a decision which would later return to haunt her.

And yet…what other choice was hers?

"_Phewie_!" Bunnie exclaimed as she too retreated a step, "Another cotton-pickin' minute an' Ah do declare that Ah would most certainly have wound up a _dust bunny_!" she joked, waving a paw in order to clear the air directly in front of her face – a futile enterprise since every dust-particle that she succeeded in driving away merely made way for the perpetual stench of Robotropolis.

Ari had caught up with the pair of them – even as he brought the all-important cart to a temporary halt, the ram tilted his grey head to regard Sally from beneath a raised eyebrow. "Princess – didn't you say that we were going in?" he inquired pointedly.

Rotor and Antoine both now stood at either side of the cart, clearly wondering what the cause of the hold-up could be – from his place upon the cart, Tails just stared silently at her. Sally would later recall the dark, almost accusing, scowl on the fox-cub's face – and when she did, the squirrel would be tempted to wonder whether that look may have been some kind of portent in regard to what was soon to come.

At present, Sally was forced again to resign herself to the fact that there was simply no other option available to her – The Freedom Fighters had to enter the warehouse. _Even though for some reason I don't understand…I really don't __want__ to. _As she felt the pressure mounting up, The Princess cleared her throat, "Give me a second." Reaching down, she plucked a certain palm-sized computer from the side of her left boot. "Nicole; would you be so kind as to shed some light on the situation?"

As Sally's held her gentle paw out toward the ominous doorway, Nicole emitted a series of electronic beeps and then responded in her soothing voice;

"_**I trust that this medium will prove sufficient, Sally." **_

A powerful shaft of light shone forth from the screen of the tiny computer – directing the radiant beam through the doorway, The Princess guided it from left to right as slowly and as carefully as though it was a pale finger exploring the inside of a black rotten tooth. The very first things to be thrown into illumination were the metal shelves standing in a row at the leftmost side of the warehouse; piled upon them in haphazard stacks was a great number of squat oblong-shaped articles which were unmistakably cardboard boxes. Almost desperate to discover something wrong about it, anything that might make it slightly unsuitable for the group to take shelter in, Sally conducted a meticulously slow search of the entire warehouse; right at the very back of the place stood a second row of shelves upon which another mother lode of boxes had been thrown with obvious lack of care, to the far right more or less the precise same spectacle.

The warehouse was clean…as far as any enemies waiting to ambush The Freedom Fighters were concerned, that was. In more literal terms, it ranked so low that as far as the World Cleanliness Awards would have been concerned, it would surely have set a record all of its own by securing the first ever negative-digit rank.

Sally gave a deep breath – still she felt no sense of relief. _No danger…but why is each and ever hair on my body standing on end? _Unable to understand herself, the squirrel did her best to smile reassuringly as she turned to her friends. "Nothing to worry about." She declared with a confidence which felt just as insincere as her earlier assertion that Snively had changed for the better during his time in The Great Forest. "It's perfectly safe."

Upon her very first step across the threshold, the squirrel felt a cold tingle run up and then down her spine – it was as though she had inadvertently walked over somebody's grave. As dense gloom closed around the group like dark water, in fact, it was as though they had _all_ walked _into_ a final resting-place. Yes…this place reminded The Princess of a crypt rather than a warehouse.

This morbid line of thought which had crept over her like a skeletal hand was interrupted by a sudden remark courtesy of the foxiest member of The Freedom Fighters, "_Nice_, Sally…_very_ nice." Though she didn't trouble to shine the light in his direction in order to confirm her suspicion, Sally was quite certain that Tails was smirking sarcastically, "Though if you don't mind, I think I'll _wait_ a while before giving it _five stars_."

Sally drew another deep breath which in no way signified that the mood she was in could have been categorised as 'relaxed' – with a great effort, however, she remained calm as she responded to the fox-cub's remark. "Tails, why don't you go and keep watch at the door?" she suggested with a mildness of tone that made her feel very, very proud of herself. "You can give us a whistle if you see any Bots coming."

It was a feeble attempt at placation and she knew it – and so she was not surprised when a gratified expression failed entirely to manifest itself upon Tails' face.

Bunnie grinned mischievously over her shoulder at the fox-cub as she hopped up and parked herself at the edge of the cart, "Just so long as it ain't a _wolf-whistle_, huh Tails?" she teased him.

As Sally stared at the rabbit in confusion, Tails dropped to the ground and stalked over to the gaping doorway – not for a second did he glance at or in the slightest way acknowledge Bunnie. With the memory of how she had twice made him do something he hadn't wanted still freshly burning in his mind, the fox-cub didn't _trust_ himself to respond to her at that moment. And what had she meant by referring to what had happened between the two of them that morning? Hadn't he made it clear that he didn't want anyone, Sally least of all, to know about it? Or did the fact that he was just a kid mean that his desire didn't count?

As he leant back against the leftmost side of the cart, there was a broad grin on Ari's face. "_Woo_!" the ram muttered from the corner of his mouth, "He sure isn't pleased with _you_!"

Bunnie's eyes twinkled fondly at the fox-cub who now stood in the doorway, his back turned firmly toward them all. "Aw, don't ya'll worry none, Ari – we can handle him." She giggled softly.

Putting his fatigued back against the cart's leftmost side, Rotor permitted himself to slide gently downward – as he came to sit upon his flabby posterior, the walrus prepared to make the most he could of this grace period. _Geez…I'm so burned out right now that I don't even have the energy to think about the top-secret project I've been working on… _A tic of confusion flickered across his whiskery face. _Wait…did __that_ _just count?_

Antoine alone remained where he stood, his sweat-slicked paws clasped behind his ramrod-like back as he rocked back and forth on the balls of his quivering feet – taking his courage into both paws, the coyote adopted the most casual air that he could feign as he forced himself to gaze tentatively upon the apple of his eye.

Bunnie smiled coyly, raising a paw to brush through her hair as he flattered her with his attention. The coyote's mouth opened, a painful silence following as he made a sterling attempt to begin a cogent sentence only to fail miserably. It was strange but as he'd built himself toward speaking to her, he had seemed to channel the courage of ten coyotes – when it actually came to speaking to her, on the other hand, every ounce of that courage seemed to go out of him like water through a bottomless glass.

A peal of discordant laughter spilled from that yellowy mouth as Antoine lost his nerve – embarrassed beyond measure as he realised that the others were staring at him, he turned away, his cheeks redder than a herring. Silently he cursed his faintness of heart…

_Aw well… _Cheated though she felt by that somewhat distinct anticlimax, Bunnie breathed a sigh and smiled wistfully. _…next time maybe?_

Ignoring for the present her bewilderment in regard to the behaviour of Tails, Sally turned to inspect her surroundings more closely – the shelves, she noted, were most definitely worse for wear. Several had long ago warped beneath the weight of stacked boxes – in some places, even the framework was bent as though a circus strongman had used them to display the raw power of his pumped muscles.

Sally's brow furrowed as she perceived that many of the boxes were well into the process of disintegration. Just how long had they _been_ here? _And what's __inside__ anyway…?_ Restlessly, the squirrel leant toward the box nearest to where she stood – holding her sentient light-source directly over it, she finally glimpsed the peculiar contents of the aged cardboard container. That which met the eyes of The Princess was a tangled mess of objects which were not only as small as featherless baby birds but also gave a sickly gleam in the light projected upon them by Nicole.

Now at first, Sally thought them to be pieces of moulding styrofoam packing – an assumption that lasted barely the length of time it had taken to form in her mind. For as the squirrel prepared to step back and turn decisively away, she chanced to notice something which recaptured her interest; one of the tiny items bore what was clearly faint lettering. Pausing to prop her rifle against the shelf's side, Sally dipped her paw in and took hold of the object that had attracted her attention – after a second or two of tugging as though she was trying to drag a desperate worm from out of the earth, she was holding it between finger and thumb.

The first discovery The Princess made was through her sense of touch; the thing she held now was not styrofoam but plastic. Plastic so thin and flimsy that it would have stretched and split with but a careless twist. Next came the evidence of her eyes; this was nothing so random as a scrap torn from something larger but a thing all of its own. It was a band just the right size for an average adult Mobian to slip onto his or her wrist; an identification bracelet that a hospital patient would have worn before the day of The Coup.

Sally stood very still, as though that skeletal paw had become very real indeed – and as it struck from the darkness, seizing her in a grip of ice, The Princess' eerily clear mind seemed able to accommodate but a single thought.

_No…it couldn't __be._

Her fiery-haired head jerking as though suddenly intoxicated, she leant closer still toward the worn old box. Crammed inside there was indeed a great number of plastic bracelets, every single one more or less identical to that which she held in her paw – moving as stiffly as a marionette as she began to regain her composure, Sally turned to check the box directly ascendant. Just as her growing suspicion had told her; yet more of the same.

_Yes…it __could._

As she looked across her hazel-furred shoulder, The Princess had already to begun to smooth the crumpled bracelet as best she could – extreme care was hers as she did so for fear that a smidgen of roughness might ruin it. And again…just as she'd suspected. Attached to the front of the bracelet was a small piece of yellowing card; and daubed in black ink were spidery characters, their clarity destroyed by the passage of time.

_And…it __is._

Their illegibility meant less than nothing to Sally – just as she could have sworn to her own name, she knew that the trail of blurred and faded ink had at one time formed three letters followed by a trio of digits.

This The Princess knew to be true for the simple fact that she had seen one of these very bracelets on a day that had dawned long ago. A day which she would never forget for as long as she should live. A day of ten years ago…

"Sally Girl…?"

Sally gave such a start that she might have experienced an electric-shock – tearing her transfixed gaze from the object that even now made her experience mingled feelings of burning fascination and sickened fear, she forced herself to look instead at the rabbit who stood now beside her.

Bunnie had quietly joined the squirrel, overcome by curiosity in regard to what she could be doing over here – her eyes were concerned as gazed at her friend. The rabbit was by no means certain whether she had actually seen or merely fancied it – yet it seemed to her that she had glimpsed it in Sally's face, something which had been hidden suddenly behind a pair of shutters which had descended behind those perfect blue eyes as she'd realised that that she was being observed.

"What's goin' on, hon?" Bunnie pressed, wondering what could possibly have had such a startling effect on the squirrel. "Somethin' wrong?"

Sally could feel their eyes upon her – Antoine's brimming with nervousness, Rotor's filling slowly with concern, Ari's turning sharp as a pair of razor-blades as she was subjected to their combined scrutiny. The only pair that she didn't feel boring into her back were those belonging to Tails – the disgruntled fox-cub had refused obstinately to turn around despite the obvious curiosity rising within him.

Sally's eyes had been those of a drowning person – as she got a hold of herself, their expression became grim with resolve. There was one person who could answer the question that for years had haunted The Princess…and at present he was back in Knothole.

Almost desperate for some space in which to breathe as well as to think, Sally cleared her throat with a cough. "It's okay, guys…" as she spoke as breezily as she could manage, The Princess slipped the bracelet into her vest-pocket and patted it flat against her chest. "…_I'm_ okay." Her eyes were steady and significant as she met Bunnie's questioning pair, "_Really_, Bunnie…it's _nothing_. Okay?"

Bunnie squinted suspiciously at her friend, The Squirrel Princess – that whatever it could be was most definitely _something_ was as clear to her mind as a cloudless day in springtime. Just as clear was her realisation that it must be something very serious in order for Sally to try and keep it hidden from her friends. _Ah guess Ah'll be leavin' it… _Even as she nodded in apparent deference, the rabbit's eyes were locked upon the face of the reticent squirrel. _…for the time bein'. Somethin' or other has Sally Girl spooked…and __Ah__ sure intend t' know __what._

As she went to stand before the shelves right at the back of the warehouse, Sally's arms were wrapped around her shoulders as though to keep at bay a sensation of coldness – it was a vain effort for the bitterest chill was that which came from the depths of a soul in turmoil. And the burden of that turmoil was so acute that her head bowed beneath its profound weight – for The Princess knew that the moment she had hoped and prayed with all of her heart and soul to forestall was at last upon her.

Her eyes were as bleak as the sky over The Badlands as she dwelt on the memory of _that day_, a crystalline diorama in her mind – almost perversely, she felt glad of the physical exhaustion that filled her with leaden inertia. As long as her own gaze was lowered, there was less chance that she might meet that of the one whose face seeped now into every corner of her mind.

And that face belonged to none other than Tails who continued to sulk, oblivious to the fact that from a past of which he had little memory…a shadow had risen. A demon all of his very own…one which soon he would be forced to confront. A terrifying truth which may well prove to be absolute destruction.

The destruction of his sanity…his life…_his very soul_.

**End of Chapter**

_Author Notes - __Well__ now...what exactly __has__ Sally discovered in the abandoned warehouse? What far-reaching consequences will it have on the fox currently known as Tails? (Sorry, couldn't resist it.) Why weren't Ari and his fellow villagers __roboticized__ when they fell into Robotnik's hands? Wanna know the answer to all three questions? Stayed tuned...or maybe I ought to say __watch this space__. All a question of taste, I guess. Anyway, comin' up next;_

_**Race to Oblivion; A Rogues' Accord**_

_It's Sonic and Speed Bot versus Liutenant Omega...The Grudge Match. Place your bets right here...just so long as you don't hedge(hog) 'em._

_Well...I guess that's all for this year! I'd just like to thank everyone muchly for following this story - thanks also for the contructive criticism which I've tried to take to heart in order to make it just as good as it can be. I've gotta say that I was kinda nervous at first since this is my written sojourn into the world of Sonic the Hedgehog SatAM...all I can say now is, may there be many more!_

_See ya in the Year 2008 - in the meantime, have a Cool Yule and lots of Festive Fun!_

_Merry Christmas, one and all!_


	9. The Eye Of Omega

_Author Notes - Hey, hey!! Howzit been going, everyone? I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas...I sure did!! I got a copy of "Grandia II"...and a dang swell RPG experience it is too. Elena's cool, Ryudo's cooller...and Miss Millennia just blows them both away!! Honest, I can't recommend that game enough...the only criticism I have is that some of the attack/spell animations take a while to play out. Which can be a little frustrating when you're waiting to see if the latest boss just succeeded in taking out your last remaining character...anyhow, enough about "Grandia II"!_

_Heeere's the latest installment of the story, first of this year! You'll notice that Zero is again nowhere to be see...the page-count did it again! But no sweat, cuz I've got the content for that scene all written...so about a week after uploading this, I'm gonna type the Zero scene up and upload it as an interlude between the story-arc that's now finished and the one coming up next._

_Anyway...really hope that'cha enjoy this!!_

**Chapter Eight**

**Race To Oblivion; The Eye Of Omega**

For the past decade, the street had lain in silent abandonment – where laughter and light once had been, there now was only dead silence and stagnant air.

Until today…

On scorching summer days of long ago, many a mother had insisted that her children go out and enjoy the marvellous sunshine – more often than not, those same children had sought sanctuary from that same sunshine within the tantalising shade promised by the gaps between houses. At some point following The Coup those same gaps had been sealed by thick wooden planks, most likely in order to prevent intruders from using them either as a hiding place or a means by which to escape into another street.

It was more or less assured that if anyone was rash enough to venture into this place, chances were that he or she would never walk _out_ again. Of course…where there was no precedent, there would always be somebody to _set one_.

"_Whew_…so _this_ is what they mean about life in the fast-lane!!"

As a pair of high-speed heroes blazed twin trails through that seemingly endless street, a quartet of robotic pursuers practically nipped at their heels – arrayed in an aerial horseshoe, The STEALTHbot Squadron resembled a bevy of monstrous birds as it swooped upon its prey; Sonic the Hedgehog and his unlikely ally, The Speed Bot.

As he dodged and weaved in a dizzying effort to evade the barrage of lethal laser-fire, something struck the blue-spiked avenger – and it was not one of the deadly beams which he avoided by mere inches but a sudden and sickening realisation. Weariness was actually creeping up on him. Sonic was determined to push himself to the very limit, true…yet even the fastest thing alive couldn't reasonably expect to go toe-to-toe with a super-advanced killing-machine, hurl himself into combat against an entire platoon of SWATbots in a desperate attempt to pluck his captured comrades from under the snout of the most deadly sorcerer ever to draw breath, and be feeling at the peak of his game immediately after.

_All work an' no play…leaves this hedgehog hero feelin' more 'bushed' than the whole Great Forest! _As his teeth instinctively clenched, Sonic cudgelled his brain as urgently as he could without obligating himself to admit to having actually lost his cool. _Ya know…what I could really use right about now's a plan!_

Out of the corner of his right eye, the hedgehog caught the now unmistakable flash of gold. And when Sonic craned his neck, sure enough, it was to find _those_ crystalline eyes awaiting him - as his trademark silent stare transfixed the cobalt Freedom Fighter, The Speed Bot jerked that exquisitely designed head. And now that he had the hedgehog's full attention, the meaning of this simple yet emphatic motion was crystal clear; his back. _An' it looks like Speedy here has one! _Sonic didn't need a third invitation – in the blink of an eye, he flung himself sideward through the air. A swift stunt which brought the hedgehog's feet to be balanced upon the form of the great cat. "_Woah_!" exclaimed Sonic, the ache in his feet already beginning to fade. "I'm moving at this _amazing speed_! _This is the greatest thrill of my whole_…" as his brain got around to actually thinking about what he was saying, a sheepish grin spread across that peach-furred muzzle. "…oh _yeah_."

They were going so fast that it was only the tightness of the knot with which it had been tied keeping the hedgehog's bandanna from ripping clean away, allowing blood to stream forth like fuel from a ruptured gas-task - as The Speed Bot swerved to avoid the latest instalment of enemy fire, Sonic resisted an almost overwhelming temptation to holler; "Hi yo, Silver, awaaay!" The hedgehog's decision not to go there was based on two reasons. Firstly, the great cat's body was in fact golden. Secondly, it would have sounded as though the cobalt crusader was bellowing encouragement to some kid's pet fish if he were to try substituting 'silver' with 'goldie'. "Yo, Cat Cool!" he settled instead for cheering as the combined firepower of The STEALTHbots failed spectacularly to bring the two of them down. "_You rule_!!"

A smooth-sounding mechanical whirr caused his blue ears to prick up – glancing to his left, the hedgehog saw something that made him flinch despite himself.

The Speed Bot's extendable arm had emerged – yet even as Sonic eyed it with renewed wariness, that extra appendage came not an inch closer. It simply remained as currently situated, flat palm turned skyward…waiting. And as he realised that the great cat had again come through for them both, the wave of tension passed – Sonic smirked. "Jus' remember, Speedy…" a single step to the left brought the hedgehog's sneaker-shod foot to rest between the three claws, "…quitters never win an' _winners_ never _die_!!"

His attention turned straight ahead once more, The Speed Bot gave no noticeable external reaction to those word – internally, of course, it was a whole other story. More and more did the cybernetic speedster marvel at the ability of hedgehog to think of so many different things in the very heat of conflict, whether it be the well-being of a comrade or the imparting of invaluable advice to a friendly rival, and yet remain focused nonetheless upon the goal ahead. That there could be something more than winning…merely the concept both shocked and fascinated the artificial mind that now contemplated it.

His memory returned to that fateful night he and Sonic had been pitted against each other for the very first time…and the hedgehog had chosen to forfeit the contest, dropping out of their race as though it had meant nothing whatsoever to him. And as he'd found himself suddenly abandoned and ignored by a master whose need for him had come to a wretchedly disappointing end, the great cat had striven in vain to make logical sense of what had happened, his super-advanced AI proving unable to solve the conundrum of his rival's perplexing action.

The Speed Bot had been utterly confounded – yet on this day, all had changed. Today, the great cat finally understood – and in the golden vault that was his mind, he silently thanked the hedgehog for helping him to do so.

_**(I must try to remember that…'winner'.) **_

With incredible force, the telescopic arm _swung_. Sonic lowered his arms to his sides and pressed his legs together as he was launched toward the sky like a rocket. "_Guess there's nowhere ta' go from here but up_!!" his nose was pointed straight up, his spikes flattened against his skull by the rush of the air – as his high-flying ascent reached peak-point, the air-born hedgehog performed a breath-taking backward somersault. "_Yipikaye_!!"

The corresponding descent was cut abruptly short as his feet apparently made contact with a passing cloud. A cloud which was smooth. And solid. And happened to be passing with quite remarkable speed.

Casting a casual glance over his shoulder, Sonic paid not the slightest heed to the concrete whizzing by far below – he gazed instead at the gleaming black oblong that served as the eye of The STEALTHbot upon whose broad back he was now tenuously balanced, a grin cheesier than fondue dip spreading across his muzzle. "Say, Guv!" he exclaimed, adopting a cockney accent. "Don't moind if Oi……_yipes_!!" the hedgehog went abruptly out of character as his sharp eyes glimpsed something that was most definitely not part of the script, something which was of clear detriment to his general well-being. "Not cool…_not cool_!!"

Ducking so swiftly that it was miraculous whiplash didn't follow, Sonic just avoided the overhanging section of the rust-coated street-light - the greatest loss he suffered was the tip of a single spike. Bearing in mind what happened the _last_ time he'd given it a whirl, the hedgehog didn't exactly savour the prospect of sticking his head back into Rotor's quill-styling machine – acknowledging he'd rather _that_ than have to go and look for a _new head altogether_, he decided that it was probably best to cut his losses.

As he did just that, Sonic slipped back into his role as smoothly as though he'd just experienced little more than a mildly critical review. "Don't moind if oi 'itch a lift, do y'? Much obloiged to y', Oi am!" as he played this surely award-winning role to perfection, the hedgehog performed something else; an about-face which brought him sliding to the far end of the robotic exterminator. "Oi'll just hop into the back, Oi will!" Plopping his finely proportioned side down upon the smoothness of the aerial-assault machine, Sonic kicked back as casually as though he'd just decided to work on his tan – tilting his head to the left, the hedgehog gave The STEALTHbot's immediate neighbour a saucy wave.

Though seemingly whimsical, it was in fact a very calculated move…and one that paid off magnificently.

Electing to deal with this undesirable passenger by the most expedient means possible, The STEALTHbot turned in a smooth partial roll – now gliding at a sideward angle, the winged robot swerved sharply with the intent of crushing Sonic against the side of the nearest building. Yet a hedgehog hamburger was not to be added to that day's menu.

Sonic reclined no longer upon The STEALTHbot's back as it connected with the side of that derelict structure – thrusting his paws against the robot's slowly tilting frame, the hedgehog had propelled himself into the air. And as he dropped nimbly to the ground, Sonic now tilted back his head in order to enjoy an enviable view of the perfect display of Cause and Effect his actions had triggered – it proved to be well worth watching.

Detecting his close proximity, the second STEALTHbot had also made a move to eradicate the hedgehog. Compared to the means its fellow machine had intended to employ, the method devised by that robotic interloper made up for in brutal efficiency where it failed in methodical elegancy - the second STEALTHbot swerved without warning, clearly intent on smearing the mocking hedgehog against its right wing.

But Sonic had not waited to become an example of abstract graffiti – the hedgehog had hit the ground running, was now grinning maniacally as he waited in anticipation for the imminent lightshow.

Which went as smoothly as clockwork. The intermingling explosions were actually extremely attractive to behold as the second STEALTHbot ploughed into the metallic belly of the first, like a hammer striking a stake's flat head – it was like watching an exceptionally spectacular firework display.

"Speakin' o' lanes" Sonic crowed as he turned his attention to the road ahead. "_…steerike two!!_ When there's somethin' screwy wit' the neighbourhood, who ya gonna call?!_ Bot Bustas!!_"

As that breath-taking chain-reaction had played out, neither of the two remaining STEALTHbots could have been described as 'idle'. The murderous machines intended to take The Speed Bot from both sides in a joint swoop, a strategy far more co-ordinated than either devised by their fallen counterparts…yet no less doomed.

As he perceived the clear threat to his existence, The Speed Bot continued to run – the great cat had two things working to his advantage, both considerable and neither to be taken lightly. The first being the raw strength of his body, the second the diamond-like brilliance of his artificial mind. And when both became one, the force engendered was truly formidable. As the cybernetic speedster ran, it was not with the terror of a pitiful mouse fleeing for its life…but the cunning of a deadly beast about to turn the tables upon the lowly carrion that dared presume themselves his conquerors.

Into view it came, round in shape and pitted with rust; a long-forgotten manhole cover. The heavy-duty metal lid would have taken even Bunnie Rabbot several minutes to lift from its place of decade-long rest – The Speed Bot took barely a second to leap upon it, bringing to bear every ounce of strength his body contained.

The STEALTHbot duo's strategy was derailed to say the least as the great cat vanished from sight, leaving behind no more than the now cracked edges of the pit into which he had plunged – even as they soared over that shadow-infested hole, both artificial minds were bent upon turning back as swiftly as possible.

A fatal mistake.

Long before either twin flying-machine had ascended from the production line, the air-vent had lain out of action. Once upon a time, the neighbourhood kids had rushed to stand on that cage-like covering; the boys hopping up and down in the hope that the latest updraft might provide them with the lift-off necessary to take flight, the girls giggling like crazy as they prevented their skirts from flapping upward. _Now_...the battered grill hurtled skyward like a champagne-bottle cork, definitely a jarring sight. Yet merely a warm-up to that which followed, taking the STEALTHbots completely by surprise.

Like an angelic demon escaping from the clutches of Hell's Grim Tyrant, The Speed Bot came – and as he erupted from the darkness below the street, the great cat seemed almost to fly. A thing of terrifying beauty his golden body was, its utter magnificence practically overwhelming the sensors of his wannabe destroyers – if ever there was a day that mere machines came close to experiencing unsurpassed awe, this was the one. And more was yet to come – as the severely damaged vent bounced across the ground, the cybernetic speedster arched his back and thrust both front-legs outward – had he been capable of making any kind of sound at all, he most surely would have roared at his oncoming prey.

Everything came spectacularly together - in a desperate attempt to evade the surprise attack, both STEALTHbots _veered_ _apart_. United, they may have prevailed – divided, they literally crashed and burned. At the very least, the ill-fated machines succeeded in taking out numerous layers of dirt and grime in their respective explosions...

As his robotic paws casually re-established their relationship to terra firma, The Speed Bot gave a contemptuous flick of the tail. _**(Why not take a digital photo, boys? Digital lasts forever, don't you know.)**_ The feline android raised his proud eyes, the conquered STEALTHbot Squadron already dismissed from that artificial mind – at hand was a _true_ adversary.

As he'd witnessed the downfall of The STEALTHbots, Sonic had slowed his pace – and as he ground now to a halt, the hedgehog stared at the figure of The Speed Bot. The pursuit was at an end…yet 'lest his nose was addled by the most abrupt cold in medical history, Sonic could now smell something else in the air.

Whatever it could be, an irresistible temptation was stirred within his beating heart…burning desire, sheer yearning, almost primal excitement. And Sonic would have bet anything that, despite his cool outer exterior, The Speed Bot felt exactly the same way.

His left eye narrowing into a speculative squint, Sonic silently weighed. By now, Sally and the others just _had_ to be safely out of the city – it wasn't like he'd be goofing off while he was supposed to be covering them. Well, _was_ it? And anyway, the two of them needed to get out of here _as fast as possible_…_didn't_ they? The hedgehog bared his teeth in a grin, realising that there was just no getting away from the simple truth despite the validity of the arguments he'd just presented to himself.

And the simple truth was…that Sonic genuinely _wanted_ his rematch with The Speed Bot.

The precise point at which hedgehog and robot's gazes locked was where that invisible intangible something had burst into being – though it could be seen by the eye of neither, it was felt by both as it grew between the two of them. So passionate and fierce that it seemed to send waves of heat rippling through the air – and as beads of sweat coursed down his face, Sonic recognised it at last. A challenge from one equal opponent to another, a call to battle – and the grin that split his muzzle was ready acceptance.

"Oh it's _ooon_, Golden Boy!!"

One bedazzling flash of motion later, mammal and machine stood side-by-side once more. Dropping onto one knee, Sonic planted both gloved palms flat upon the ground like the heck of an athlete that he was…and _waited_. The Speed Bot tilted back those powerful legs…and _waited_.

Both eager rivals waited for the duration of one second. Followed by that of another. And _then_…

"Try keepin' up wit' _this_! I'll race ya right ta' _oblivion_ an' back!"

A whirling plume of dust marked the spot where Sonic had just crouched. The hedgehog was running – spreading his arms out with fists clenched in an outward reflection of smouldering concentration, he moved at the speed of a Hover Bike. A heartbeat had barely passed when that telltale glint appeared at the corner of his right eye – as he fell effortlessly into stride with the hedgehog, The Speed Bot flashed his worthy rival a glance so vaunting that it seemed to scream; _**(Here's looking at you, Mister Hedgehog.)**_

Sonic felt neither shock nor dismay – for in the corner of his _left eye_ shone the glint of _pure exhilaration_. "Bud, ya ain't seen nothin' yet…I ain't even outta first gear!!" tilting his body at a forward angle, the hedgehog took this race to a whole new level of speed – and as his acceleration increased dramatically, the crumbling structures ahead appeared to melt into a relentless collage of grey which seemed to have neither beginning nor end._ Wow…kinda like Snivley's whole life flashin' in front of his eyes!_

It took a little longer to happen this time…several minutes longer. Yet still it came…or rather _he_ came. The Speed Bot's limbs moved with such incredible rapidity that they appeared to become wheels of golden flame as he bounded back into his rival's sight. _**(Would that this shell of metal housed but a single nerve-ending, I assure you that I would be simply aquiver with anticipation.) **_The eyes of the feline-based mecha appeared to drawl.

"Okay…I'm a little impressed." Sonic conceded as the great cat succeeded again in matching his speed. "But hey…_only_ a little, okay? Now get ready...'cuz ya about ta' get a sizzlin' taste of _Super Sonic Speed_!!" The hedgehog had never been one to oversell himself – oh sure, he might _exaggerate_ every now and then. But one thing he'd always avoided was promising something beyond his ability to follow up on – yet to take this race to the extreme limit of that ability was what he'd promised and the extreme limit was precisely where he was determined to take it.

Sonic felt like a volcano on the verge of eruption as he poured every last ounce of energy that was his into the effort – such was the speed he attained that tongues of flame sprang from every inch of ground he now covered! Leaning to one side, Sonic allowed his now practically rocket-powered body to veer leftward - barely a second later, he found himself streaking across the faces of buildings like an arachnid that had somehow gotten its legs upon an incredibly powerful accelerator.

His soles pounding a trail across walls of crumbling brick and planks of rotting wood, Sonic twisted his neck in order to gaze toward the opposite side of the street – and there, precisely what he'd _expected_ to see. The Speed Bot resembled nothing less than a wingless bird of gold as he too raced across the faces of buildings – as though he read the mind of his rival, the cybernetic speedster craned his neck to meet the cobalt hedgehog's spellbound stare. In those amethyst eyes shone pure serenity.

And for the first time that day, Sonic found himself at a complete loss for words – as the hedgehog strove to form a cogent sentence, a very familiar whirr sounded through the air. Without a hint of his previous apprehension, Sonic watched that surplus arm unfolding from the robot's side. _No way! _His eyes widened as two of those metal claws lowered, leaving only the third erect. _Jus'…no way, man!_

From one speedster to another…a robotic thumbs-up.

Sonic simply could not contain that which now flowed though his body like fresh n' bubbly soda-pop, "Ya…ya know somethin'? It…it _ain't _necessarily true what they say!" the blue blur heard himself holler between overpowering spasms of euphoric laughter, "I guess…great speedsta's really _can_…be made, not born!"

And though The Speed Bot was unable to communicate via verbal expression, Sonic sensed that those words of esteem meant a lot to him. _**(Oh you can take it right to the bank, Mister Hedgehog…this great speedster is entirely self-made!)**_ In that weird moment of purity, of running against an opponent with whom he found himself evenly matched in every way...the great cat realised that this was it.

This moment, here and now, was the highest note of his existence. Whatever might follow, the robotic speed demon was certain of one thing - nothing would ever come near to surpassing the sheer ecstasy of this golden moment.

And just how correctly he judged, the cybernetic speedster would discover very soon indeed.

For every extreme high one can experience, there is always a corresponding low – a deep rumbling hit the hedgehog's back like a wall of ominous sound, leaving him with the distinct impression that the words 'cake' and 'walk' could hardly be used in a sentence pertaining to this last leg of the mission.

'Those who look to the heavens prosper' - never had an old proverb seemed less grounded in reality than would this within the context of the scenario now in motion. For as Sonic looked up into the sky, wondering if the ensorcelled storm-clouds had reached this street…_they _came. While the hedgehog was looking to the heavens, too distracted to see _them_ coming.

The Speed Bot was _not_ so remiss – his sensors detecting the rapid approach of no less than three sources of intense energy, the robot craned that golden neck. And there he saw them; lights of such incredible intensity that the shadows seemed to dissolve before them. _Laser-Beams_! And of the common variety they were _not_ – 'lest his overwhelmed sensors played him false, those now approaching were blasts of immense destructive power! As to the intended _target_…The Speed Bot believed his first guess fairly accurate. In that fleeting moment before impact, the great cat cursed his inability to warn the oblivious Sonic – given that he had been created solely to destroy him, it seemed bitterly fitting that his only real limitation now prevented him from _saving_ the hedgehog.

A moment later, it scarcely mattered. The Speed Bot's guess had been decidedly _inaccurate_ – Sonic had _never_ been the focus of the oncoming barrage.

Deep as that steadily deepening growl sounded, it proved no match for the voice that now rose over it; a voice ringing with concentrated malice as it hailed the great cat from somewhere close behind; _**"Let's see you outmanoeuvre this, rusting road-kill!" **_

The Speed Bot veered swiftly enough to evade the first beam which instead reduced an abandoned house to smoking gravel – another fluid swerve took him clear of the second blast which missed his exquisitely designed tail by mere inches and ultimately provided air-conditioning to another decade-old ruin. As for the _third_…

The odd vibration running through his body was the first indication The Speed Bot received that something was very wrong – the next was the strange sensation of having suddenly become _lighter_. In theory, this ought to have granted him an advantage; with less weight to carry, after all, the android feline should have been able to escape his current jeopardy with far greater ease. Yet in practice, the consequences this new state entailed were far less beneficial; the fact that one of the great cat's hind-legs was no longer attached to the rest of his body considerably stunted rather than enhanced his ability to run.

For a whole minute, The Speed Bot could only stare back at his mutilated limb…or rather the lack of it. And though those purple eyes retained their inexpressive mystique, a maelstrom of shock engulfed the artificial mind behind them. Extremely advanced as that AI was, it had a blind spot – the great cat's pride and confidence in his abilities were both so immense that a small part of his psyche actually believed himself truly invincible. And so The Speed Bot could barely believe his eyes as he glared at the blackened stump where a powerful leg had once been; it was as though the loss of that limb was merely an outrageous affront to his dignity rather than a sign of the very real peril he was now in.

The minute was gone – and, in a manner of speaking, so was The Speed Bot. With a quarter of their collective speed abruptly lost, the paws of the great cat began to stumble and scrape…

As that jeering voice alerted him to the fact that the renewed danger came not from above but from _behind_, Sonic fired a glance over his shoulder…just in time to see the cybernetic speedster's fall. "Hey..." the hedgehog exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock – he could hardly believe what they saw as the golden mecha struck the ground with shattering impact and lay there like a metallic fly at the centre of a spider-webbing series of cracks. "…_hey_!!" With a swerve that sent pain lancing through every bone in his body, the hedgehog returned to terra firma – as his feet and solid ground reconnected, Sonic was fuelled by a burning urge to lend his fallen rival a gloved paw. "Hang in there, dude..._I'm comin'_!!"

Even as the hedgehog prepared to turn back and sprint to his rescue, The Speed Bot raised that now battered head – and the look that shone in the fallen feline's eyes drove Sonic onward in a way which an army of SWATbots never could. Perhaps the great cat considered such a crippled existence one which he could never endure. Maybe he did not desire the hedgehog's life to be placed on the line in order to preserve that existence. Perchance that which he now did was due to a reason he could not have explained to the hedgehog had he every word ever conceived at his disposal. Whatever the case, his final message was conveyed with a clarity unrivalled by the most flawless diamond;

_**(Go. Escape. Live.)**_

Sonic clenched his teeth, his whole face tautening into a mask of unwillingness – yet his feet continued to move, to run as though of their own will. Much as he despised himself for doing so, the hedgehog felt an overpowering urge to respect The Speed Bot's desire. "Oh maaan…" he moaned, his tone one of immense pathos.

The menacing growl had continued unabated throughout that first strike, increasing in depth with each passing second – and as he gazed beyond the grievously damaged robot, Sonic at last spotted the _source_. From out of the clustered shadows it came roaring, a monstrous mass of mechanical malevolence – and had he possessed any degree of telekinetic capability, the street around the hedgehog would have been swallowed by an earthquake as he saw just who _piloted_ this nightmare of technology. His blood ran cold even as his eyes blazed, an exquisite dichotomy triggered by the sight of a nemesis he'd believed to have been literally buried.

_Ya know…I really gotta stop buttin' heads wit' this butthead!_

As the Triad Canons revolved and entered cooling phase, Lieutenant Omega fixed his quarry with a crimson glare. For the past half-hour, The Elite had utilised his internal heat-sensors in conjunction with his infinite patience – as soon as he'd detected a heat-source moving at extraordinary speed, he had just known that it was Sonic. And as The Elite had closed in on his prey, grim satisfaction had coursed through him at the sight of The Speed Bot. _This_ was just _perfect_ – _this_ meant that Omega got to smear the road with _both_ their innards. Starting with that glorified gold-plated tin-can's! _**"Don't…turn your back…on me!" **_that synthesised voice sounded oddly distorted as it _snarled_ _malevolently _at the hurtling hedgehog.

"Okay…_seriously_." Sonic quipped, grimacing as though he'd decided to teach his grandma how to suck eggs only to realise that he'd just crammed an especially rotten one into his mouth. "Jus' what does it _take_ ta' make ya say nighty-night?" Admirably as he maintained his nonchalant exterior, the hedgehog was actually completely bewildered as he gazed back at the thirty-ton war-machine; how in the world could that great hulk possibly move so fast?

The answer was quite simple; bright-blue tendrils of energy encircled the fingers of Omega's right hand as The Elite forcibly embedded them into the face of the control-panel, feeding a steady supply of his own considerable internal power directly into The Ground Tank's energy-core. Incredibly effective though the result seemed, this was a tactic which came with a very apparent drawback – copious amounts of smoke spewed like torrents of gaseous vomit from the sides of the tread which had not been built in order to accommodate a speed so extreme.

Precisely how much farther The Ground Tank could go before degenerating into a huge pile of spare parts, Omega did not know – nor did he care. So long as the hedgehog was annihilated before that inevitable moment, all else paled into complete insignificance from The Elite's point of view.

As the burning glare of that visor-like eye cast the rest of his helm-like head into shadow, Omega appeared as the King of Hell in pursuit of a pair of wretches who dared seek flight from his nightmare realm. _**"You seem to experience immense difficulty in keeping that clumsy foot out of your flapping mouth, Hedgehog." **_As The Elite taunted the hedgehog, a command was relayed from his electronic brain to The Ground Tank. _**"Perhaps pinning it shut might help? Brace yourself…for Ground Hog Day is upon you!"**_

A second ago, Sonic had felt his stomach twisting itself into an unduly complicated knot – in the _following_ second, it seemed to cast itself into a smoothy-mixer.

Heralded by the nerve-rending sound of a thousand feral cats hissing in unison, row upon row of metal spikes emerged from the tread. "_Aw, come ooon!!_" Like the fangs of a bestial behemoth, these rust-riddled horrors scored a horrifying scar into the (already remarkably unsightly) face of Robotropolis as they were revealed – Sonic had the distinct 'impression' that it would take a great deal more than a tetanus-shot to get him back on his feet should those things get stuck into him. "_Now ya jus' yankin' my chain!!_"

The Speed Bot marked the coming of that lumbering juggernaut as he lay battered and broken in the dirt – as the end drew inexorably near, there was one regret only in the mind of the robotic speed demon. And that was but the end itself. In those eyes was sad resignation, a melancholy light which may fill the sky as the sun sets for the final time. And as they turned to follow the blue blur of the swiftly departing hedgehog, he no longer felt a trace of that earlier irony – The Speed Bot had been given his existence in order to rival Sonic the Hedgehog. That it should come now to a close with him left in the wake of that rival was in no way ironic – it was perfectly fitting.

_**(Sonic…we are the same, you and I. The same…yet different. You were brought into this world by a whim of the natural order. Not for any real reason. You simply are. Whereas I am a machine. Created by man. Created for the wrong reason. And I believed myself perfect, that no-one would ever come close to me, that I defined the word 'unsurpassable'. Then I met you. And in time I came to see that running to win is meaningless. To run is the prize…to run is to be free. What measure of control could Robotnik's programming possibly have over me…in comparison to that?)**_

_**(Sonic…farewell.)**_

With a deep cringe, Sonic shut his eyes fast – like a squeamish child who knew he was about to receive a hypodermic jab, the hedgehog didn't want to see the approach of that horrible promise's fulfilment. That state of mind lasted only as long as he took to feel a jab of _shame_, the realisation that he was acting like a coward. Silently commanding himself to honour the bravery of the great cat, Sonic took the deepest of breaths…and forced his eyes to open.

To find that he had wrestled too long with himself…and that it was now too late. Neither the glimmer of a purple eye nor the flash of a golden body did he see.

The Speed Bot was gone.

"Speedy…" Perhaps it was as Sally had said back when they'd both been kids, that his head was far too crammed with ego for anything else to enter – or it may have been that the horrible reality of what had just happened was too much for any mind to immediately accept. It was like a nuclear bomb exploding against the azure sky of his soul, banishing the sun and turning all to a desolate frozen wasteland. When acceptance at last came, so too did a cry of anguish that seemed to claw his throat raw. "…_Speedy_!!"

As the ice that had bound his soul was melted by the flames of grief and fury, the hedgehog would have continued to scream…but he didn't. Because he knew that whatever he did, the golden racer would still be gone – screaming until his throat bled wouldn't bring him back. Nothing ever would. _I'll always remember ya…_And besides…if he was going to avoid sharing the robot's fate himself, the hedgehog now needed every ounce of energy he could muster.

Sonic blinked, his eyes feeling like sun-baked pebbles – the air, he mused as he tried to recompose himself, was still extremely hot from the laser-blasts. _Air an' lasers… _the hedgehog rationalised silently. _…yeah, that's the reason my eyes are on fire. _When they at last reopened, those eyes were filled with calm – deadly calm. A feeling that only continued to resonate within as he realised just what his slightly blurred gaze was directed at. "_You._" the growl was almost incongruously quiet as it passed his teeth, not an anguished accusation but an implacable curse.

The eye of Omega glimmered like a blood-stained blade – the taunt it conveyed was no less cutting. _**"I thought I saw a pussy-cat! I did! I did saw a pussy-cat!" **_jeered the robotic voice of The Elite, "_**You know…it amazed me to see that utter waste of finite resources up and running after all this time. I'd assumed that his bug-beleaguered AI**_ _**had failed him long ago…though it might just as well have, for all the good he ultimately did you. One down, one to go! And since I happen to be in such an exceptionally good mode…I do believe that I'll give you my full attention. Please take your time and enjoy an excruciatingly protracted termination, Moronic the HedgeSwine!"**_

As that spiked tread bore down on him like a morbidly obese sea-urchin rolling along on its side, a lesser soul surely would have quailed – Sonic the Hedgehog was _no_ such soul. By urging his rival to escape, The Speed Bot had knowingly sealed his own fate - the robot had given himself over to destruction in order to keep it from _the hedgehog_.

And as Sonic realised it, a new resolve arose from the ashes – he swore that, whatever the cost, Omega's evil would be destroyed once and for all. "Don't count ya weasels 'til they've popped, Motor Mouth!" growled the vengeful hedgehog, "I'm gonna…"

An almost perversely gentle hum indicated that The Triad Canons were 100 Percent re-energised – the trio of laser-weapons parted like a lady's fan. And their aim now readjusted, those exquisite examples of science put to the task of taking as many lives as swiftly as possible…fired.

Sonic just had to flinch as the concrete to his direct right received the full benefit of a continuous beam of intense heat – that this new laser-stream remained to scorch a smoking trench into the face of the ill-maintained road, rather than merely dissipating, seemed to indicate that at least one of The Canons was now set at a significantly lower power-level. _Lower_…yet no less _deadly_.

The riddle of The Elite's gambit was swiftly solved. As the beam steadily charred the road beside him, literally too close for comfort, Sonic was filled with the urge to veer leftward – yet for some reason he couldn't readily fathom, the hedgehog resisted it. Whether it had been gut-instinct or simply a bad feeling, he grimly retained his current course; an irrational call which was soon proven to have saved his life.

A blinding flash of light preceded the second stage of the hedgehog's headache – rivulets of sweat gushed down the sides of his face as the heat was literally turned up by the appearance of the laser-beam which began charring the ground which lay to his immediate _left_.

Sonic didn't need to take a glance either to the right or left in order to grasp his situation – the hedgehog knew that he was boxed between two seemingly endless laser-streams. And as he began to feel like a slice of bread wedged into an atomic-powered toaster, it was with a sickening flash of insight that he realised just what was coming. _Uh…how many guns did that mega monstrosity have again? _The answer came almost instantly…and with unsettling directness.

Had the events of the last decade not made him savvy enough to shield them with the side of a gloved paw, Sonic would surely have felt his eyeballs sizzle as the world seemed to _explode _in front of them – had those years of Freedom Fighting not so toughened him, the deep vibrations now coursing through the ground would undoubtedly have hurled him flat on his face.

As an acrid tendril of smoke angulated its way between his parted lips, Sonic gagged in revulsion. _Man!_ _It's like there's a party in my mouth…an' everyone's barfin'! _The vaporous veil which assaulted the hedgehog's senses was born of a _third_ laser-stream…which was focused upon the spot _a few feet ahead of him!_

The partial diamond formed by the blazing triad served as a deadly barrier, rendering it impossible for Sonic to escape by an increase of speed or a swerve to either side – the only conceivable avenue of escape was for the hedgehog to _decrease_ his acceleration, allow the laser-streams to overtake him. Yet even if he _was_ able to cling to life for a little longer by doing so…

_All I hafta do is slow down...an' wham! One Shishka Hog, comin' right up! _

Sonic felt a shiver run up his spiny back in response to the thought of submitting himself to The Ground Tank's nonexistent mercy – a reaction not abated by the piercing shriek that sounded suddenly, bringing every nerve-ending in his body up to a whole new level of 'on edge'.

Sonic wondered just what _else_ there could possibly be to stress him out – looking over his shoulder, the hedgehog _discovered_ just what.

At first Sonic thought that some underground pipe had been ruptured, its liquid contents gushing forth in liberation – with stark comprehension, Sonic realised that what he saw was no liquid at all. A plume of vapour rose in the wake of the blazing white laser-beam which now pursued the hedgehog – as he reached the point of actually having not another drop of sweat to shed, Sonic realised that this fourth ray was steadily closing the distance between it and himself. And that he'd seen it _before_ this moment...

Lieutenant Omega guided his left fist with the flawless precision of the machine he was – as the cutting-laser came closer and closer to slicing its target up like a living breathing birthday-cake, The Elite savoured the notion that soon he would have succeeded where Doctor Robotnik had always failed. Soon the created would have surpassed the creator. _**"This is the end for you, Odious Erinaceous**_ The SWATbot crowed. _**"One of the benefits of digital memory; I will be sure to regale your equally ill-fated comrades with a slice-for-slice story of just how pitifully I made you squirm before emptying the contents of your body across this concrete calvary!"**_

_Gee…tough choice! Do I wanna be diced, charred or crushed? _His blue brow furrowing, Sonic frowned slightly as the eerie feeling that he'd somehow been here before (or at least somewhere _similar_) crept over him. _Wow…déjà vu, dudes! _

As the extent of just how burnt-out he'd been had hit him, Sonic had seen the truth as clearly as though watching the 'engravement' of his own tomb-stone. _I'm…not gonna make it thru ta' the other side of this one. _And all at once, his tortured mind had filled with people and places – images of such vivid clarity and yet dreamlike unreality that it had been as though he'd seen them reflected in the face of The Great River. _I'll… _Those people he'd seen, those things happening…they had all seemed so real and yet as though they would all vanish like soap-bubbles if he were to reach out and touch them. _I'll never…_

If the rising despair had been an intangible balloon, threatening to suffocate all hope as it swelled within the hedgehog…then Omega's taunt just about _ripped it_.

Sonic felt the flesh tauten over his skull, contorting into a glare of burning defiance – and as renewed strength coursed through his body, he knew that this was not the end. He wouldn't let Sally be consumed by grief, Antoine get himself killed in some half-baked bid for vengeance, Rotor feel guilt over having been unable to do more to help him, Bunnie wish she could be wholly robotic and thus immune to the pain of loss, Tails grow up without his big brother beside him…because he had surrendered to despair. All of this, he defied with every smouldering drop of blood in his body – he wasn't some rodent, squirming as it waited to be slaughtered.

He was Sonic the Hedgehog.

And even as he reminded himself of that, Sonic was reaching for his backpack – what with the aching of his entire body, the hedgehog felt as though he moved under the acute weight of zero gravity. Yet reach it his gloved paw did – with no time to expend on releasing the metal buckle which held it in place, the hedgehog gave the red flap one unceremonious wrench.

As the material tore between his grasping fingertips, Sonic was vaguely surprised by just how much of a damn he _didn't_ give about defacing the pack he'd worn for so many adventures – as quickly as it occurred to him, this thought was silenced by the memory of Antoine tearing his uniform despite feeling that he ripped off part of his own soul in doing so.

Sonic now understood what had been running through the coyote's mind – and as he did, the hedgehog felt proud to wear the makeshift bandanna. So much more than a tattered scrap of material, it was a piece of Antoine himself; a piece the coyote had offered freely, given up for the sake of everything The Freedom Fighters held dear. As he thought about it, a smirk flitted across Sonic's face – it was weird to think that Antoine had gotten somewhere way before _he _had!_ Okay…forget what I said, uh, thought earlier. From now on, I won't pick on Ant at all…unless it's real funny, I swear! _

His paw rooted among the contents of that now mangled pack, encountering both the walkie-talkie and the chilidog he'd wrapped in brown paper just in case he might fancy a lite snack during the mission – it said something about the seriousness of the situation that he barely even gave it a thought. Then his gloved fingers met with that for which they searched – and as he drew it out, Sonic felt his spirit soar. _Uncle Chuck… _the hedgehog prayed as he held the shining talisman aloft. _…gimme the strength ta' make it back ta' the people who need me!_

Though his sensors detected the emergence of the Power Ring, Omega remained complacent – a quick analysis of his treasure-trove of data on The Freedom Fighters, information pertaining to their strengths and weaknesses, informed him that this thing had the ability to imbue the hedgehog with enhanced speed. Not invulnerability. The Elite was unshaken in the supreme confidence that triumph would ultimately be his. However desperately the rodent ran, all directions lead either to incineration or decapitation...either of which would prove extremely gratifying from Omega's perspective.

Which merely went to show that regardless the super-advanced technology responsible for its creation, Omega's perspective was in fact...fatally _narrow_.

Just as anticapated, Sonic now summoned the fantastic energy which flowed through that unending circle – yet as that golden radiance surrounded him, it was _externally _that the hedgehog focused this borrowed power. Holding the Ring out by his side, Sonic closed his eyes in calm concentration – the serenity of his expression appeared almost divine in the splendid light of the beam now streaking from the centre of the Power Ring.

Cutting through the crimson darkness, that shaft of golden energy collided with the cutting-laser and forced it slowly but surely from the ground – at the precise spot that the pair of opposing beams met, a bead of light swelled, growing both in size and intensity with every second encompassed by this spectacular struggle betwixt two powers.

The Power Ring shaking as though on the verge of shattering right between his fingers, vibrating his arm into bone-dust in the process, Sonic clenched his teeth and _willed_ himself to hold on. _Gotta hang in there…for everyone's sake, I jus' gotta! _As the hedgehog focused on the names and faces of the people he loved, the aura of energy shone like a rising sun…_and forced back the laser-streams of The Triad Canons_!

From The Elite's arm leapt a shower of sparks - Omega too was struggling to endure the sheer intensity of this literal power-struggle. Even as the furious vibrations wracked him, The Elite refused to back down – it was as though his entire existence had led up to this conflict. Comprised of metal and electronics through he was, Omega now felt consumed by a need to destroy the hedgehog. From his point of view, to succeed to that end would be to bring sweet validation to his existence – to meet with bitter failure would be to concede that he was no better than any of the lesser run-of-the-mill SWATbot's he so despised.

And that Omega would have destroyed himself sooner than do.

_**(I am the greatest that technology has to offer! The most perfect machine in existence! The ultimate cybernetic warrior! I can win! I should win! I must w…?!)**_

A new cosmos seemed to burst into being just beneath his left shoulder - The Elite stumbled forward, his left arm disintegrated by the overwhelming beam of the Power Ring. And as he slammed face-first against the cockpit, a belching cloud of black smoke served as a clear indication that The Triad Canons had overloaded.

As the three laser-streams dissipated with a fizzling hiss, literally nothing remained to hold back the hedgehog – his arm claimed by a numb sensation, Sonic drew upon the remaining energy of the Power Ring. _Dang…I feel like Naugus jus' tried ta' gimme a massage! An' not wit' his hand that's actually a hand either!! _And as it flowed through him, Sonic felt the threat of exhaustion fall from his body like water from a sponge – those blurred feet appeared as flaming rubber-bands as they ran, free at last to leave both mangled Ground Tank and damaged pilot behind in a spectacular sonic-boom! _Hoo-kay…time ta' go!!_

In no time at all, Sonic saw it rising into sight – the wall that marked the western boundary of Robotropolis stood so high that had he cared to do so, which of course he didn't, the hedgehog would have needed to crane his neck back in order to glimpse the very top. Sonic's eyes were peeled for something he knew to be located firmly on ground-level – and sooner than he'd expected, the hedgehog _saw_ it.

The west gate seemed to call out to the hedgehog as he raced toward it, that way out of this industrial hell-hole – and if that was truly the case, Sonic wasn't about to wait for a second invitation. One moment the arching portal was right in his field of vision, the next the hedgehog was soaring straight through it.

Never had The Bad Lands seemed so _good_ as Sonic set foot in them for the first time in what felt like forever – then again, just about _everywhere_ had an uncanny tendency to seem like the garden of paradise when compared to Robotropolis. Sonic experienced an overwhelming urge to _run and run throughout every last inch of this amazingly sweet freedom_ – a temptation he would only too gladly have given into had his ears not pricked up in response to a pair of voices now crying out to him;

"_Sonic_! _Over here_!"

"_Sugah Hog_! _Aw, kaloo kaley_!"

Like a spiky tether-ball, Sonic swerved back the way he'd just come – as he retraced his thundering footsteps, the hedgehog was elated to see none other than Ari and Bunnie running to meet him from the outer edges of the gateway.

As he and the bionic belle met their cobalt comrade halfway, Ari's face was split by a welcoming grin. "You sure know how to raise some hell, Sonic. I swear, it sounded like a drum being beaten in a Mondara Parade!" with a throaty chuckle, the ram made to slap the hedgehog's back – performing a timely double-take, he saved himself from a pawful of quills. "Fill us in, partner!"

Sonic smirked wearily, feeling the borrowed energy fading from his body – thrusting an arm behind him, he stowed the now spent Power Ring into the gaping mouth of his backpack. "Run in wit' a buncha STEALTHbots. Ain't sure but I guess they'd decided ta' fly by an' check out ol' horn-head's light-show." A peach-furred shoulder rose in a half-hearted shrug, "Instead they got themselves a Crash Course…_Sonic Style_. So…where're the others?"

Ari swept his paw in the general direction of a slope rising in the distance, a rocky ridge at the very top. "_Sally_ and the others are safely undercover." The corner of the ram's mouth twisted in a knowing smirk in response to the relieved expression that crossed the hedgehog's face. "The two of us volunteered to hang back and wait for _you_."

Sonic nodded – a solitary tilt of the head and a brief one at that. "Thanks, you guys." He quietly replied, his eyes distant as they turned back to gaze at the city beyond that gateway – already the high of his escape was fading. And as it went…the hedgehog found himself being forced to remember.

Whether it was down to womanly intuition or the circumstance that she happened to be a sensitive soul, Bunnie couldn't help but notice the hedgehog's sheer lack of gusto. "Sugah Hog?" her voice was soft and gentle as a baby leaf as she addressed him for the first time since their earlier parting, "That ol' Speed Bot…?" There was no need for her to complete that sentence – as Sonic raised his head and met the rabbit's gaze, the sadness of those steady eyes confirmed her suspicion. "Aw Sugah!" she cooed, her natural paw going instinctively to the hedgehog's shoulder. "I'm sorry…"

Sonic smiled as best he could – the final product was a smile that made his muzzle feel like a piece of elastic pulled to a tortuous length. "Thanks, Bunnie." His gratitude at least was genuine, as was what he said next. "Look...don't mind me, okay? I'm glad you guys are good…_real_ glad."

Bunnie smiled, nodding supportively. "Let's go see 'em all, Sugah." The rabbit asserted, tactfully removing her paw from his shoulder – she too was anxious to reunite with the one for whom her heart beat. "Let's go see 'em _togetha'_!"

To the hedgehog's ears, no suggestion had ever sounded sweeter – yet the second and far more eager nod that Sonic would have given was never seen. For as they were drawn from the rabbit's face and back toward the gateway, his eyes narrowed in grim enmity. "Hold that thought, Bunnie." he growled, "In fact…hold everythin'. There's jus' one lil' thing we gotta take care of first!"

Startled by the dramatic shift in their comrade's manner, Bunnie and Ari turned their attention back to the gateway – the spectacle which smacked them both right in the eyes was far from comforting.

"Oh _crap_…"

Three pairs of eyes stared, riveted by what at least appeared to be a black smudge against the tapestry of lifeless grey that was Robotropolis – and the nearer it drew to the west gate, the deeper grew the resonance of that unearthly growl.

"Woo _nelly_!!"

As he watched the approach of The Ground Tank, Sonic felt it rising within him like bile; hatred corrosive enough to turn the entire city in a sea of melted silicon. The artillery of the demon war-machine had been reduced to scrap-metal…how on all of Mobius could it just keep on coming? _Man! If anythin' can stop it, I sure as heck can't thinka'…?! _The hedgehog's train of thought went screeching onto a whole new track – his brow furrowed so deeply that he looked for a moment like Uncle Chuck minus the moustache, Sonic flicked those intense eyes between the pair of immense titanium gates. _Yeah…yeah! Those things look heavy enough ta' hold back a dang dragon! As Sal would say…we got us a plan! Well maybe she wouldn't say it as cool as that but…_

Sonic was just as surprised as Ari and Bunnie to find himself barking orders to the pair of them, "Okay dude n' dudette, lissen' up! If that thing makes it outta there, we're finished! There's one way ta' stop it." With a swift flick, his finger was raised upward – fortunately it was back _not_ the front of the digit that he flaunted or else his comrades might have interpreted the gesture very differently indeed. "_One way_. An' if it's gonna work, we gotta be snappy!"

"I'm all for it." Ari drawled as he folded his arms across that brawny chest, "Whatever 'it' _is_…"

"An' _Ah'm_ all _eahs_, Sugah Hog." Bunnie declared, a bubbly grin on her face despite the severe intensity of the current jeopardy.

Sonic took a deep cleansing breath – regardless the flippancy of their attitudes, their eyes told him that they were there to do everything they could to help him. Those eyes shone with steel stronger than any gate, exuding strength greater than that of any machine – that which the hedgehog saw in those eyes was just what ram and rabbit saw in _his_. The very essence of courage and determination, the pure fire in which true Freedom Fighters were forged.

Minutes later, the taunted muscles of Ari's work-hardened shoulder were braced against the face of the leftmost gate – the ram's face was so moist with sweat that he felt like a slice of buttered toast. "Know what?" he grunted, bringing to bear every ounce of force his body contained. "This is the most intense work-out I ever had!"

Bunnie's eyes were narrowed beneath the weight of sheer strain as she poured all the might of her cybernetic paw into the Herculean labour of shifting the rightmost gate from its present position, "Well look on the ol' _light side_, Hot Horns." She panted, her breathing coming in gasping jags. "If we all _live thru this_, yuh can always try yuh paw at a careeah in _weight-liftin'_!"

Seeing that this last great effort would take every bit of strength they could bring to bear, Sonic pressed first his shoulder and then both paws against the rightmost gate – and as he pushed and shoved until every strand of muscle felt like it was about to tear, he found it almost as arduous to force his mind to remain upon this all-important task and away from thoughts of Sally who was so very close and yet seemed farther away than she'd ever been.

Sonic knew that they must halt the advance of The Ground Tank at any cost – not only would the three stand no chance against that thing if it reached them, Omega's sensors would surely detect the presence of Sally and the others who lay in hiding.

The thought of that monstrous machine having its way with his friends spurred Sonic to even greater effort – the gates _had to be closed before Omega arrived_!

Failure would doom them all…

* * *

'An eye for an eye' – thus the old saying went. Of course, a robot would probably have needed to say something like 'a diode for a diode' – proof that some sayings simply did not translate very well.

Nonetheless, it was a saying long favoured by those of heated blood and fierce passion – those of organic constitution, in simple terms. Regardless his status as distinctly _in_organic, this saying sounded extremely good to Lieutenant Omega. So extremely good that the mere thought brought his electronic brain as near as it could come to intoxication, driving him on with the overwhelming urge to act upon it.

Onward The Ground Tank roared, more fuelled by the one-armed SWATbot's desire for vengeance than the power which he continued to force into its tortured energy-core – to the possible scenario that further pursuit of his enemies might bring him to his own destruction, Omega gave barely a second's contemplation.

The Elite would crush the hedgehog out of existence, leaving not a shred of flesh nor splinter of bone of him intact on this planet – without a nanosecond of procrastination, he would immediately proceed to hunt down the remaining Freedom Fighter scum and then take his time putting into practice every ounce of the incredible capacity for unbridled sadism with which he had been programmed by Doctor Robotnik. And even then, Omega would not know satisfaction – from his torture and destruction of The Freedom Fighters, he would go next to the foul murk of The Great Swamp.

There the hedgehog had lured many a STEALTHbot to its destruction – in this case, the irony would prove most _sweet_ when Omega scavenged enough functional parts to use in his repair-work on The Ground Tank. Then on to the border of The Great Forest…which would wither in the flames ignited by the sparks fated to fly upon his arrival. Tree by tree, those ancient woods would burn to ash…until Knothole was revealed unto its conqueror. Through the not-so-secret village, the destructive path of Omega would lead – and on his way, he would send each of its people on the journey to _death_.

_**(By the time I'm through, none will walk there without hearing the sweet sound of bones crunching underfoot.)**_

Undoubtedly, it would all take time - yet The Elite had all of that in the _world_.

_**(It isn't like I'm going to die of old age, after all.)**_

Ruthlessly efficient and exquisitely cold, the qualities of the perfect killing-machine…yet Lieutenant Omega's rampage of revenge was destined not to unfold any farther that day.

The gargantuan tread _exploded_ _from within_, jets of intense flame spurting from either side – The Ground Tank had been pushed right to the proverbial limit. As it finally went beyond and to the extreme, the anguished war-machine seemed almost relieved to call it a day.

Even as he fought to remain standing, Omega heard it; a voice so charged with passion that it seemed to soar like a shooting star as it met his sound-sensors.

It was the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog; "_Omega_…_short-circuit in Cyber Hell_!!"

As the contours of his body reflected the raging firelight, The Elite bore witness to a truly sense-shattering spectacle – heralded by whines so piteous as to move the hardest heart, those twin titanium gates moved. Back together they came, locking into place with a thud so heavy that it was practically a portent.

With a blaze, the eleventh hour had come – yet it was not one of glorious triumph but instead smouldering failure. Lieutenant Omega was defeated. Not only was the formidable weapon on which his plans of grandeur had hinged now broken beyond repair…The Elite himself was in very real danger of complete destruction.

At the very least, he would take with him a sour satisfaction. The Freedom Fighters had surely poured everything they had into the effort to take him down...yet the fruits of victory would be snatched from them.

Omega did not intend to be in The Tank when it crashed. _**(There's always a Village Idiot. In this case, there's an Idiot Village!)**_ As The Tank careened like an out-of-control rocket, now moving only by the force of sheer momentum, The Lieutenant braced himself to leap clear of the coming catastrophe. _**(Don't take on so, Freedom Filth! Take it philosophically! You win some, you lose s...?!)**_

He was absolutely _not_ braced for what came next.

As he'd pursued the fleeing hedgehog like death himself, Omega's sensors had been focused wholly upon his quill-backed quarry – and as a natural consequence, he had remained ignorant of the circumstance that he'd no longer been sole occupant of The Ground Tank. A state from which he now departed as two robotic paws collided against his unprepared back – driven off-balance by the sudden attack, The Elite again slammed face-first onto the mangled machine. Omega found himself unable to move a single joint, let alone gain the purchase necessary in order to free himself from the great weight of his unknown assailant – as he lay pinned like a half-read letter beneath a paper-weight, The Elite rotated his head in order to learn just who bore the responsibility for this.

As he stared at his attacker, a familiar purple eye shone with well-earned satisfaction. _**(It...can't be!)**_ No more than Sonic had Omega doubted The Speed Bot to have been crushed like a tin-can. _**(It can't be!)**_

Only very rarely are things as they appear – and this occasion was no such example. For as The Ground Tank had borne down on him, The Speed Bot had experienced a flash of sudden clarity. The maimed cat had faced a choice; to either await the inevitable with the dumb docility of a lamb _or_ seize this fleeting respite and instead meet utter destruction with the fierce defiance of a cheetah. And the decision had arrived so swiftly that it was almost an instinctive response, something perhaps without precedent where AI was concerned – his remaining limbs tucked against that smooth belly, he had rolled toward the street's eastern side.

Experiencing no more than the violence of the passing shockwave, the great cat had narrowly escaped the merciless weight of The Ground Tank – and as the metal behemoth thundered onward, The Speed Bot had returned to upright position with a single flip. With a thrust of that single yet powerful hind-leg, he'd bounded after the one responsible for his mutilation – an arc of graceful ascent later, he had found himself clinging to the rear of the speeding war-machine.

From that metal slope the golden mecha had clung, silent and tense…waiting for just the right moment, the perfect opportunity to strike.

And as Omega had pledged his very existence to relieving Sonic of _his_, both had come the maimed cat's way – as he gave The Elite a sidelong glance, the eye of the cybernetic speedster burned with silent yet potent menace. 'Winning isn't everything' – this The Speed Bot truly had come to believe during the brief period in which he and his worthy opponent, Sonic, had been reunited.

Lieutenant Omega, on the other hand, was _not_ a worthy opponent – ergo the way to a whole new _kind_ of game was opened, a game in which The Speed Bot was _determined_ to win.

Pinned against the control-panel, hopelessly overpowered and with not a microscopic chance of escape, Omega knew that he was finished – and as he realised that his broken remnants would be condemned to join the countless anonymous drones of The Dumping-Zone, The Elite experienced something he had never before known.

Fear.

Omega could not be destroyed without first sealing his superiority, without leaving a mark to ensure that his name would be remembered long after his metallic shell was dust…without proving himself to have been so much more than simply one of many expendable machines whose existence was ultimately devoid of meaning. Never would he concede to such an unacceptable end! Not _he_; the _greatest_, the most _perfect_, _the ultimate_!

"_**Please…"**_

And as his hated nemesis thus begged for mercy, The Speed Bot could have purred – perhaps the sparkle of triumph now dancing in those eyes served to compensate for the fact that he could not. _**(I win, Lieutenant.) **_As the one-armed SWATbot figuratively squirmed, the maimed cat felt a surge of vindictive pleasure – he supposed that there _was_ something of that bad old pussy-cat in him after all._** (Yet the prize I will gladly share with you; oblivion.)**_

The western gate waited patiently as they rushed to meet it – before captive and captor's respective eyes, it loomed large. Unbelievably large. Impossibly large. Fantastically large. So large that had either robot happened to be a researcher for The Encylopedius Mobius, he would have felt the urge to run and add a picture of it beneath the term 'largest gate on the planet'.

What came next was a maelstrom of madness. An incredibly jarring impact, a _crunch_, then…words. A series of letters which formed a sentence, appearing and disappearing monotonously;

_**Internal Error Detected. Failed To Repair Broken Connection. Unit Will Go Offline Shortly.**_

Then…nothing.

Darkness. Silence. Forever.

* * *

And in the sky over Robotropolis, that terrible storm at last ceased to rage. The vast circlet of tempestuous clouds was broken to scattered pieces, unravelling like a great carpet – every last wisp of dispersing vapour returned from pure darkness to dirty grey, abandoned by the evil magic which had possessed it. A truly awesome spectacle.

One which was observed by the keen gaze of Sally Acorn – despite the heaviness of the physical and mental fatigue which seemed to hang over the entire party, The Princess vigilantly watched the distant city. The turmoil in the heavens was ended…yet the melancholy light of the squirrel's eyes revealed that the turmoil inside of _her_ was far from over.

Sally was so drained that she could barely summon the energy to chew her lower-lip – thus the gnawing anxiety over the fate of a certain blue hedgehog was left to turn inward. And as an irrational sense of isolation overwhelmed her, Sally silently prayed;

_Sonic…come back to me. Come back safe and unharmed. Please._

In every shred of skin and strand of fur that was her, Sally felt a desperate need for the presence of the hedgehog. The squirrel's mind was torn between thoughts of Sonic…and thoughts of the abominable _thing_ she had plucked from that box of decaying cardboard. _I do need you..._ And as she dwelt upon the latter, Sally felt that icy paw caress her spine once more. _…now more than ever. _

As prayers went, it may not have seemed a strange one – that which left a bitter taste in her mouth was the less than unselfish nature of it. The object practically burning a hole through her vest-pocket…she truly did not believe herself strong enough to confront that which it symbolised alone. A ghost emerging from the murky past…a malignant spectre silently tormenting The Princess, mocking her for the wrong she had committed so very long ago.

For her own sake more than his…Sally yearned for the return of Sonic.

At the very edge of the ridge, The Princess stood – yet there was a strong part of her which felt as though she teetered upon a brink far steeper. So strongly resonant this feeling was that it practically radiated from her body, the others feeling it just as palpably as a blast of icy wind – while Rotor and Antoine settled for casting furtive glances at the squirrel from where they sat upon the ground, the former in silent concern and the latter with a nervous fidget, a third pair eyes seemed almost captivated by her graceful back.

Just like the walrus and the coyote, Tails believed the source of Sally's anguished aura to be that which all four of them shared just as equally the air they breathed; fear for Sonic. And while the others felt compassion for the silently suffering Princess, Tails experienced something far worse…and that thing was shame. Since he was still angry at the squirrel, it came somewhat begrudgingly…yet it came nonetheless.

_Sally...she's so worried about something happening to Sonic that she can barely think straight. She...shouldn't have treated me the way she did. But...I guess that it wasn't very big of me to act up like that while she had more than enough to deal._

Slowly but surely, Tails opened his mouth – the fox-cub was ready to go to the squirrel and explain just how she had made him feel, to apologise for how he'd behaved and ask for her forgiveness. All of this, Tails would have done…had the fates not conspired in order to stay his tongue.

As her body was struck by the shockwave of some immense distant impact, Sally was astonished not to be hurled from that precarious vantage-point. "_What_ on all of _Mobius_?! It sounded as if Command Central just...!!" As her eyes returned to the shadowy form of Robotropolis, what remained of the squirrel's composure was ripped apart like a piece of soggy tissue-paper. The Princess felt every drop of blood in her veins turn to ice as she glimpsed _it_; from beyond the western wall it rose, a tendril of black smoke as long as the razzing tongue of a gargantuan serpent.

"Sally?!"

The other three had been sitting beside the cart, their legs crossed as comfortably as possible – that period of silent inertia was ended as each stumbled to his feet and hastened to join The Princess, Rotor being the first to reach her. The walrus stopped dead in his bare-footed tracks, wincing deeply at the sight of that ominous vapour-trail. "H-hey, Sally…" he began to stammer, his heart instantly flying out to the squirrel. "I-I'm sure that…" he broke off, unable to decide just what he was supposed to say to her – and as he did, it dawned on him that it would probably be better to leave his sentence incomplete.

There was nothing he could say, no words to soothe the anguish of Sally's heart – wretchedly yet tactfully, Rotor returned to silence.

Antoine's shocked gasp sounded akin to a vacuum-cleaner in motion, "Sacra bleu!" the coyote hoarsely exclaimed, the mere glimpse smoke enough to make him break a sweat. "This ees not looking rude!"

That Antoine refrained from either placing a paw upon her shoulder or citing the old proverb that the angels smiled down upon fools as a reason that she not worry about Sonic said a lot about just how far he had come during these past few months – as he'd come to realise, with a great deal of rightful embarrassment, the coyote had spent so many years of his life looking upon her solely as a Princess that he'd never been able to see that she was in fact so much more. Sally was her own person; unbound by the trappings of royalty, defined by the decision she had made for herself and the values which she fought with every ounce of strength in her body to protect. First and foremost…she was Sally.

Once upon a time, Antoine would not have hesitated to use this situation as a means to ingratiate himself with 'His Princess' – and the circumstance that he now chose _not_ to make that attempt was due mainly to three considerations. First of all, the coyote had no particular desire either to lose a paw or to eat his words as they were force-fed to him by an infuriated squirrel. In the second place, he knew now that to exploit the anguish of a lady in such a self-serving manner would have been downright dishonourable conduct…so much so that his father would have been deeply shamed to see it. Third and finally…to his own immense surprise, he found that he had absolutely no desire to do so.

It was too bizarre for words but though he had spent so long competing against Sonic for her affections…the one whom Antoine now yearned to hold in his arms, whose fur he would have given anything to caress, was no longer Sally Acorn. No…that special 'somebody' was now 'somebody _else_'.

Yet this was not to say that Antoine no longer cared for Sally – the difference being that his concern was now based upon how the _squirrel_ felt rather than how she made _him_ feel. And so it was for her sake that Antoine crossed his fingers and joined Sally in hoping for Sonic's safe return.

As he gazed at the distant-eyed Sally, Tails neither said nor thought anything – instead the fox-cub _felt_. His stomach was twisting as though it had fallen into the paws of a conjurer who sought to turn it into a giraffe, a physical manifestation of the growing guilt over his recent misbehaviour – and as he experienced it, Tails was filled with the urge to slip his paw into Sally's. To remind her through mere contact that he was there for her. Yet even as the fox-cub reached out for her, fate again saw fit to butt in – this time however intervention came in a far more positive form.

Sally stared speechlessly at that scene of distant devastation, one word alone striving to take form within her numbed mind – more accurately, it was a name which struggled to break the surface of that ocean of confusion. _Sonic…_Had she not been regulating the flow of adrenaline by shifting her weight from one foot to the other, the squirrel would undoubtedly have broken into a frantic run toward the shadow-bound city from which she and the others had recently escaped. _…oh Sonic! _What held her back was but a single piece of knowledge, powerful in its sheer simplicity.

Sonic had laid down his life, gambled everything in order to win a chance for his friends to escape with theirs – and whether the hedgehog's ultimate wager had been won or lost, Sally was perfectly aware that for her to run blindly back into danger would be the same as to crumple into a ball and throw away all that he had risked for their sakes. For her sake, she must know whether Sonic was alive…yet for _his_ sake, Sally knew that she must exercise immense self-control and stay right where she was.

Sally at first took the cloud of dust now rising in the near-distance for a by-product of the unrelentingly ferocious wind – this very reasonable assumption was dashed to pieces as she perceived that the churning vortex of pure grit was quite clearly _moving_ _against that wind_. For an indeterminate number of minutes, Sally could only watch this phenomenon in blank-faced wonder. _Could it…? _The suspicion came to her in a flash of insight - to the very end of her days, she would have no idea as to why her mind had been so long about it. _Could it really be…?!_

The newly reborn hope grew only stronger as all three of her comrades cried out in shared jubilation – Tails' eyes shone as he leaped and screamed at the top of his voice, Antoine displayed the sheer magnificence of unbridled eloquence, Rotor had put two clawed fingers to his mouth and now gave a high-pitched whistle.

Sally's face was adorned by the most radiant smile imaginable as the true nature of that approaching blur was at last revealed.

The cybernetic soles of Bunnie Rabbot both clinked upon reconnection with the ground, the momentum which had lifted them from it in the first place now vanishing – the eyes of the rabbit looked distinctly dizzy as she disengaged her arms from around Ari's waist. "D-d-done…like…d-d-dinnah!" she panted, "D-d-done like d-d-dinnah, Ah tell ya'll!"

If the vague look in his eyes was anything to go by, Ari was experiencing a very similar state of mind as he released a pair of the wiry shoulders. "Right behind you, boy blue." Hunching over, the armour-plated ram planted his paws upon either corresponding knee-cap and gasped for that very much-needed second breath. "Though I must admit I've no idea if we're coming or going…"

Sally's heart was swollen by the sight of them both…even though she essentially had eyes for only the head of this Three Mobian Conga Line. And though she would later kick herself for it, The Princess felt herself melt as she saw him standing there with arms folded, wearing what he probably considered to be the most dashing of grins. "Sonic…" she spoke his name as softly as a calm breath of wind – a serenity which was broken like a carelessly handled pocket-mirror by what came next. "..._hey_!!"

The Princess' eyes widened as that pair of arms uncrossed and reached out for her – a second later, they encircled her waist and she found herself lifted from the ground. "_Sonic_!" As she was swung in a sweeping circle by those strong arms, Sally's voice emerged as a startled squawk. "_Put me d_…oh!"

Sonic had seen fit to let the squirrel return to her booted feet – his flinty eyes dancing, he reached out and gripped her slender cresting shoulders. "Back there, jus' now…" his voice sounded breathlessly earnest, "…I honestly thought I wuz gonna die. An' ya know something, Sal? It made me think." So breath-taken was she by the intensity of those eyes, Sally did not think of the most obvious remark that she could have uttered at this point. "I thought o' everythin' I'd never have a chance ta' do…" as he spoke, the hedgehog inched his face closer to hers – and as his sentence drew to its rightful close, their respective lips were so near that each felt the breath of the other. "…an' kissin' ya just happened ta' be right at the top o' the totem-pole."

Gazing into a pair of eyes so deep as to drown him, Sonic felt it within him – the spark that ignited a fierce urge to press his lips to those of The Princess. And more than anything ever before, Sally felt the same way…he just knew it.

It would seem to Sonic upon later reflection that something had crossed on the squirrel's mind at this moment, a concern of such weight that it drove her to distraction from all other things – a matter which rattled her to such an extent that the most she'd been able to do had been to keep herself together.

"Sonic, I…" Sally's feeling of awkwardness was betrayed as she faked a cough in order to buy time in which to think of what she ought to say, "…I'm glad to see you." What stunned the hedgehog most was the affected casualness with which she spoke – rather than her best friend since childhood, it was as though she spoke to a stranger whom she was obliged to keep company at a party. "Er…where is The Speed Bot?"

Sonic's bemusement over her baffling behaviour was diverted by this question – it made way for that which hit him like a merciless blow to the gut. As sorrow flowed through him, he couldn't believe he'd managed to avoid it until this moment – the hedgehog knew that he was being way too hard on himself, that he'd needed every ounce of concentration in order to get out of there alive. Yet still he reproached himself over having forgotten about his rival for even a minute. The hedgehog was made from flesh and blood whereas the robot had been metal and gears…yet he could not shake the feeling that, beneath those very different skins, he and The Speed Bot had been brothers.

That final taunt had served merely to bear his righteous rage to Lieutenant Omega – yet now he thought about it, _really_ thought about it, the hedgehog found himself hoping that it was truly so. Sonic _did_ hope that there was a place machines went on to once they shut down for the final time, dumb as that may have sounded – a place where there were all the free upgrades they could ever want and the concept of rust was a stupid urban legend. He could just imagine the irritation The Speed Bot would be bound to feel upon discovering a pair of feathery white wings protruding from his back – the hedgehog grinned as he forced himself to focus on that fantasy.

After all…the likelier scenario was utterly depressing.

Knowing that Sally was waiting for an answer, Sonic sighed and gave it. "He's…" To his own ears, the voice he used sounded flat as a brick – appropriate, seeing as his heart was currently just as heavy. "…gone, Sal."

Sally gave a visible start as she received this news, "Gone…?" she repeated, her voice softening. "Are you saying that it…I mean…that _he_…?"

Tails felt his white-furred lips part in silent shock. _The Speed Bot... _More and more, the fox-cub felt a need to talk to Sally. _…gone? _Already he saw the graveness of her eyes as she heard him out, listened patiently as he admitted to feeling guilty over having neglected to thank the great cat for saving him from Robotnik –already he felt the gentle firmness of her paws upon his shoulders, heard her kind voice assuring him that there was no way he could have known he'd never see his golden-bodied saviour again.

Heck, Tails wouldn't even mind getting the funny kiss in front of everyone…_this _time.

Sonic nodded – he felt immensely relived to be talking to _Sally_ rather than the guarded stranger she had transformed into a moment ago. "Yeah…" his voice sounded so quiet and subdued that he barely recognised it, "…he ain't gonna be comin' back this time. I wish I could say it ain't so…but I can't."

Sally's eyes glistened like pools of dew as she felt sympathy well inside her, "I'm sorry, Sonic." She breathed, reaching out to touch his shoulder. And to her own great astonishment, the squirrel realised that indeed she was – rather than being mere contrition, those words had come right from her heart. Machine though he had been, no less than a creation of Robotnik…Sally felt somehow lessened by the knowledge that The Speed Bot would never run again. "I'm so very sorry."

Sonic realised that an egg-sized lump had formed in his throat – as he forced it down like a spoonful of Rosie's most potent cold-medicine, a sad smile spread across his muzzle. "Aw, don't be, Sal." As surprise appeared upon Sally's face, the hedgehog elaborated. "It's kinda hard ta' explain 'cuz I dunno if I understand it myself…but runnin' ain't just somethin' that he did. It wuz the thing what made him more than a machine. So he chose ta' go out runnin'...an' he went out proud. Ya get what I'm tryin' ta' say, Sal? We shouldn't be wishin' that it didn't happen…not when that last hour wuz his finest!"

Sally gave the slightest of thoughtful nods – to her mind, it seemed an incredible paradox that Sonic could be the simplest person she had ever known and yet still capable of displaying unimagined complexity. _I've never really thought about it until now…but perhaps Sonic is complex in his simplicity?_ She mused, impressed as she gazed at the hedgehog in an entirely new light.

"Woah, Sal!" Sonic breathed as he gazed back at her in enchantment, "Ya eyes are sparklin' like the stars! No wait…" that look of awed admiration was replaced by a frown of bemusement, "Sal…are ya cryin'?"

Sally wracked her brain in search of a plausible rationale for the presence of tears in her eyes, "Oh!" she sniffed, "It-it-it's nothing, Sonic…the area is very dusty, is all!"

The eyebrows of the hedgehog rose so high that they might have taken off to fly south for the winter, "Of course, Sal." Sonic agreed in a tone as smooth as the extra-polished face of the mirror he kept in his backpack, "Of course."

Tails listened to the talk of the adults, patiently waiting for his chance to speak to Sally – his white-furred muzzle wore a smile as he confidently envisioned just how it would go. _I'll just ask Sally if I can talk to her alone – and when she says yes, I'll tell her exactly how I feel. _And she would understand and forgive him. And everything would be right again. The fox-cub could just see it now…

"Princess…"

Hearing that booming voice, Sally rolled her eyes – as she turned to face him, the squirrel was ready to remind Ari that she was no better or worse than he. A lecture which died on the tip of her tongue…diverted into oblivion by the sight of his eyes.

Guilt and shame went paw-in-paw within them - as they gazed wearily at The Princess, the grey colour of the fur around them seemed fittingly bleak. "I…" Ari recommenced – the heaviness of that voice made Sally picture an iron weight hanging from his neck. "…must apologise to you."

Sally blinked, quite taken aback by this unexpected declaration. "You apologise, Ari?" she repeated – she felt concerned for the ram as he stood before her, looking so eaten up from within. "And why in the world ought so brave and true a Freedom Fighter feel that need?"

Ari had known that she would react in this manner – he gave a sigh of resignation, his feelings of complete worthlessness quadrupling. It mattered not whether she forgave him or simply acted as though she did…for at the end of the day, the ram could not forgive himself. "For no greater reason than my failure today." He responded, to the point and blunt.

_Of course! What with the fact that absolutely everything happened today, I completely forgot about it! _Understanding crystallised in Sally's clear blue eyes. _The mission that father entrusted to him alone... _

The Roboticizer's ultimate fate was not the sole issue to weigh upon the mind of Maximillian Acorn – the fact that every machine now answerable to Ixis Naugus had, as of late, spent all hours of day and night digging an enormous hole in the very centre of Robotropolis was also a point of great concern to The King. A source of trepidation which increased with every foot of dirt excavated from the rapidly deepening crater – and at the very root of this ever growing anxiety, a very simple question.

_Why_?

What could possibly be the sorcerer's motive for embarking upon a campaign so immensely draining in regard to time and resources? Did he seek some ancient artefact which would bestow far greater power upon him…or was he laying the groundwork for some scheme intended to inflict grievous harm upon Mobius?

For ten years of his life, Maximillian Acorn had languished alongside the sorcerer. If that protracted period of enforced companionship had taught The King anything at all about the twisted workings of that devious mind then it was this; neither deed nor word of Ixis Naugus was without purpose.

Thus had been born a daring plan; a Freedom Fighter of exceptional courage and ability would disguise his or herself as one of the few remaining SWATbots and, risking discovery at every second, infiltrate one of the many drilling-teams. The purpose of this mission; to discover the true purpose of the crater.

That fearless Freedom Fighter had been none other than Ari…and because he had revealed his presence among the enemy in order to come to the rescue of his friends, Ari had failed in his appointed task.

"Oh Ari!" Overwhelmed by a crushing sense of inadequacy, Ari had let his eyes close – they flicked open again in shock at the sound of sweet laughter. Sally's eyes twinkled warmly at him – with a simple gesture of that regal paw, the necessary abortion of the ram's mission was completely dismissed. "What does it mean in comparison to the astonishing thing that you did for us all today?"

Ari shook that grey head, refusing to _let_ her let _him_ off the hook. "The last thing I want is for you to try and shield me from the consequences of my…"

Sally cut short this stream of self-depreciation just as readily as an expert horticulturalist would a diseased tree-branch, "Carry on, trooper, and you'll be facing the consequences of letting me hear you sell yourself short." And though her eyes danced playfully, The Princess' expression was grave as she gazed at the ram – as she saw his lips move to make way for more self-debasing sentiments, she again headed him off. "No, I refuse to hear another word more! Ari…you are not weak. Nor are you a failure. You are a Freedom Fighter to the core and on this day you acted magnificently. I am proud to fight beside you for the freedom of Mobius…and am certain that our friends feel the same."

"Sally Girl is right, Sugah." Along with the mode of speech, that voice could belong to only one person in Ari's life – sure enough, Bunnie now walked calmly toward him. Her face practically glowing with appealing sincerity, she stood gazing up at the ram. "Yuh a good comrade, Ari." With a smooth whir, the rabbit's ladder-legs carried her to his level of vision. "And a good friend." She added sweetly, leaning in and planting a kiss upon his cheek.

So affected was he by this moment of true camaraderie, Antoine did not emit so much as a squeak of insecurity. "Zee Princess is speaking for us all when she is repressing Zat you are Zee most worthwhile comrade." The coyote declared, raising his yellowy paw in a gesture of utmost respect. "It is you who I am saluting, Aree!"

Beneath Rotor's puffy cheeks was a goofy grin,"You listen to them, Ari!" the walrus earnestly exclaimed, flashing what was surely the most unwieldy thumbs-up Mobian had ever seen. "You're one heck of a team-mate! A real ace, man…uh, I mean, _ram_!"

Ari found himself at a total loss for words, overwhelmed by their support for him – as Bunnie returned to her regular height and stepped back from him, wearing the sunniest smile as she did so, Sonic was next to contribute to the moment. "Yeah! What they said, dude!" Yet even as Sally rolled her eyes and visibly mouthed the words 'oh brother', the hedgehog went on to surprise her once more. "It's just like the ol' song goes, Ari – whatever's gonna be's gonna be. So maybe we dunno if El Horn Head's tryin' ta' take over the world or find the bone he buried last week. But whatever it is…it can wait. We'll deal wit' it when it comes 'round. An' in the meantime…uh, Ari? We jus' scored ourselves _The Roboticizer_! Everythin' else can take a place on the ol' back-burner while we get ta' work on givin' millions o' Mobians back their lives! Now _that_ we _know_!"

There was one other thing on Sonic's mind – it was something he chose not to share with the others. Yet all of them knew just who the hedgehog now thought of – Uncle Chuck. Now that The Roboticizer was bound for Knothole, the scientist would soon follow. The Freedom Fighters' coming need for his unsurpassed genius would keep Sir Charles in the village for a considerable while…perhaps for good this time. A change of circumstances that would be sure to relieve Sonic of relentless morbid fantasies about his Uncle's hidden lab being uncovered by robots charged with gathering refuse for The Dumping-Zone. Already a new scenario formed in the hedgehog's mind, one that brought him not fear but instead joy – just below being able to kiss Sally had been watching as Uncle Chuck was Deroboticized once and for all.

_Yeah…'til that day comes, everythin' else can take a back-seat._

All the while as The Freedom Fighters lavished him with praise of which he felt unworthy, Ari had struggled to find an opening in which to argue against all that they'd said – unable to get a single word in edgeways, his brow had crinkled good-naturedly as he'd slowly surrendered himself to their vindication of his good character. _Final Judgement? Who needs that with this bunch around? _"Okay, you guys, okay…I concede defeat." Grinning sheepishly, he held his gauntlet-encased paws out in a gesture of unconditional surrender. "And…well…I guess hanging around with a bunch of wing-nuts like you isn't so bad either." Lowering his gaze, Ari inspected his still unshed disguise with _un_disguised ill-favour. "Especially if someone happens to have a can-opener on them right now…"

Sonic broke into a grin, his spirit soaring in elation. "Ya know, I just remembered…there's _somethin' else_ I gotta remember ta' return." With a crane of the neck, he threw a humorous glance in Antoine's direction. "Don't sweat it, Don Coyote!" chuckling, he tapped a finger to his forehead. "I'll let'cha have it back jus' as soon as we reach Knothole!"

Bunnie's eyes turned toward Antoine – down the coyote's physique they roved, stopping as though snagged by the sight of his mutilated uniform. There they lingered momentarily before widening in dawning understanding – gazing across her more graceful shoulder, the rabbit drank in the sight of the red band Sonic was wearing. "Sweet heavens t' Betsy!" And as they returned to Antoine, her eyes filled with affection like flowers blooming in a green field. "Antoine! Did Yuh really…?"

As the eyes of his own special 'someone' shone for he alone, Antoine felt the obligatory quickening of his heartbeat – in a display of self-discipline as truly befit a royal guardsman, he resolved not to let his next word or deed by governed by the deep nervousness now wracking his entire body. An effort which proved a limited success – as the coyote managed to block out the sound of his heart's doubled pounding, the pressure seemed to redirect itself elsewhere. Namely to his _mind_ which consequently began flying in every which way at once. _My Bunnee…she is as soft and squishee inside as a strawberry-flavoured bonbon! Perhaps she will be better liking me if I am being zee modest one. But on zee outside she is tough as zee coconut of a shell…maybe she will be preferring if I should be puffing out my chest and saying that it is all parsley and port of zee life of zee Freedom Fighter?_ Strange…as Antoine contemplated Bunnie, he found himself inexplicably feeling hungry.

_Ah non… _Pressure was a far from agreeable thing to experience while trying to make up one's mind – and as it mounted, Antoine inwardly whimpered at the thought of allowing his chance to slip away just as he had done back at the warehouse. _…in love, I am haveeng two right paws and am being all fingers!_

Fortunately for both of them, Bunnie had _learnt_ from her earlier mistake."Oh Antoine!" she breathed, her voice as warm and tender as a midsummer evening wind. "How verah unselfish of Yuh!"

As she stepped forward and enfolded him in her tight embrace, Antoine broke into a grin so toothsome that he appeared to have swallowed a piano. "Ah, Mademoiselle! It was, how you say…everything." He exclaimed, his stab at a laid-back drawl sounding so alike to the screech of wheels that Sonic cast a vigilant look back at the distant city. "Easy squeaky, lemon queasy!"

The tips of Bunnie's silken ears twitched infectiously, "Sugah…" she cooed, her eyes locked with his. "…don't Yuh evah go changin' on me!"

As The Freedom Fighters laughed merrily, Tails' eyes gleamed with resolve – what with the atmosphere of good will and friendship, this seemed as good a moment any. _This is it… _Though the fox-cub, taking a decisive step forward and clearing his throat. _…I'm going in! _"Aunt Sally, can I…?"

Under normal circumstances, the scenario most certainly would have played out more or less as Tails had imagined – yet today was far from normal and on a level that the fox-cub could not have begun to imagine.

Sally had been wholly overwhelmed by the emotional chain-reaction triggered within her by the safe return of Sonic and the others – like an immense wave, joyous relief had swept aside her secret trouble and allowed her to forget for a short while. What brought the return of that gnawing dread…was the voice of Tails.

What he tried to say meant nothing whatsoever…what brought it all back to her was the mere sound of his voice. For a brief second, The Princess' body tautened as though being bound by ropes woven from sheer turmoil – then the momentary paralysis departed, dissolving as though it had never been.

And at the nanosecond it did, Sally swung to face the cub with such ferocity that her left cheek was whipped by her hair – Tails was first stopped dead by the towering fury of her eyes and then engulfed by a deluge of verbal spew. "_You_ are not allowed to _speak_!" she snarled at him, lips drawn back over her teeth. "You _deliberately disobeyed me_ today! For you to have done so _once_ would have been a disgrace…yet the fact of the matter is that _you defied my orders three separate times_! I would never have _believed it_ of you had I not _witnessed it_ with my own eyes! I tell you now that I am _far more ashamed of you today than I have been of anybody in my entire life_, Tails!"

By sheer want of breath, The Princess was forced into a cease-fire at this point – yet even as she panted, her eyes continued to bore straight through the shell-shocked cub. When she retook the offensive, Sally's voice was a shout no longer – what she next said to her erring prodigy came as a low deadly growl. "It is time for you to learn that what we Freedom Fighters do is not a game for an unruly child – if it takes me years, I swear that I will teach you this. Were anyone else to prove to be so great a danger to himself and everyone around him…"

Even as they rang in the air, the squirrel hated the sound of her own words – each of them was saturated with ugliness, sounding as though they were uttered by some savage beast. Not a syllable of it was that which she truly yearned to say to Tails – The Princess wanted to make the cub understand just how terrified he'd made her feel as she'd been forced to watch him stride right into the hands of Robotnik. Yet she did not – she could not. If she were to connect with him now, she would wholly collapse – and at present, that was something she simply could not afford to do. Only by denigrating him, could she endure…bitterly though it cost her.

For a second time, Sally abruptly ceased to speak – this time, however, it was not breath but self-control she fought to keep. Only when the battle was won did she trust herself to continue her admonition of Tails – and as she did, her tone was no longer white-hot with intensity but instead hard and flat. "We will continue this in Knothole…believe it. Until then…" one arm she drew across her aching eyes – with the other, she gestured to the nearby cart. "…you will be seen and not heard unless I say otherwise. Go. Sit down. Keep from beneath the feet of the rest of us. Now."

Tails did not move – his legs would not allow it as they stood rooted to the ground. Instead he stared at the squirrel, wide-eyed and unable to utter a word – as his mouth closed, his lips began to quiver. Like a sliver of glass slicing into his flesh, he felt it…his heart breaking. Sally was not this angry with him, she hadn't just spoken to him like that…this was not happening.

"Aunt Sally…?"

Fresh fury flashed in those fierce blue eyes, "_Now_!!" Sally screamed.

As he span from her, the only thing keeping Tails from breaking into an all-out run was the way his legs quaked beneath him – as she turned from the fleeing fox-cub, Sally swayed like a hypnotised serpent.

_He should never have been there in the first place…and from this hour, I swear that he never will again._

Suddenly The Princess felt as though she had just risen after vomiting copiously - a disposition not improved as she made the discovery that every one of the other Freedom Fighters was gawping at her in blank-faced, stupefied astonishment. Not one of them had ever seen Sally lose control like that...and with _Tails_, no less! It was surely time for the sky to fall!

"Oh what are you all staring at?" Sally snapped, averting her eyes. "Concentrate on getting as much rest as you can before we head out – it won't be long before we have whatever horror Naugus can conjurer snapping at our heels, after all."

And with this, the squirrel stalked her way back to the ridge's edge – in her wake remained nought but silence.

Bunnie's mismatching paws were clasped to her cheeks, the eyes of the rabbit full of unmistakable horror. Rotor gaped from the retreating Tails to the brooding Sally, concern for both written right across his whiskery face. Antoine chewed his lower lip in clear dismay – even he sensed that the rift which had spectacularly divided fox and squirrel was far too wide to be spanned by even the longest shred of material. Ari now did his best to gaze anywhere but at his comrades – the ram's attempt to pretend he'd somehow not noticed what had just occurred was, however, ruined by the disturbed expression on his face.

All of The Freedom Fighters were haunted by the scene they had just witnessed, the boundless rage of Sally's eyes and the bewildered terror of Tails' face – yet though all wondered _why,_ not one of them breathed so much as a syllable.

_Okay… _Positively stunned, Sonic stared at the slender back Sally had turned on them all – a blank slate of an expression though his face wore, what went on behind it was a whole other story. _…what the heck wuz that?!_

Tails fell onto the back of the cart – for several minutes it was all he could do to lie trembling, the memory of Sally's furious eyes burning him like a red-hot poker.

When the uncontrollable tremors began at last to fade, Tails took a deep breath – it felt like the first of his entire life. And with it came an emotion vastly different to the remorse he had felt such a short while ago – as he rose slowly into a sitting position, the fox-cub's prior good intentions dissolved as though doused in acid. Tails' eyes hardened like ice as they stared down at the paws folded across his kness – his heart burning with anger, the humiliated cub made a brand-new resolve.

_Fine..._

The threat of bitter tears set the corners of his eyes tingling – with every last ounce of will-power, he fought to drive them back to wherever tears came from. Tails swore that he'd march right back to the city, hand himself over with a bright-pink bow tied to his neck…before he allowed The Freedom Fighters to see him cry.

Despite that valiant effort, his outer-defences were breached – and to the end of a whisker clung a solitary tear, glistening palely in day's last fading light.

**End of Chapter**

_Author Notes - Intense beginning, intense middle, intense end...don'cha think? By the by, I got the idea of how Sonic uses his Power Ring to force back the lasers from "The Doomsday Project". Personally I've always wondered just how he managed to get three of those things at once - maybe it's that the power only lasts a short while after he taps into it rather than after they come out of the pool in Knothole? So, like, he coulda' stock-piled some for that mission..I know I would if it was an option! (By the way, have you noticed that the new scene-dividers look kinda like the fanged mouth of Naugus? Well...kinda.)_

_Anyway, hope that'cha liked it! I'll take a bit of a rest before startin' work on the next chapter...but the interlude that I mentioned will be comin' up some time shortly! See ya soon and remember;_

_Keep On Freedom Fightin'!!_

_PS. Yep, the bit about the air-vent was a Marilyn Monroe reference._


	10. Interlude The First

_Author Notes - And as a reward for your patience...here's the long awaited Zero scene!! It really should have taken place at the end of Chapter Eight...but hey, what can ya do? By the way...I just realised that The Freedom Fighters were in Robotropolis for five chapters!! Talk about what must've felt like the longest mission ever..._

_Enjoy!!_

**_Interlude The First_**

Ascending the stairway would have proven far too great a task for legs so stiff – equally unthinkable would have been the mere notion of stepping into the nauseatingly cramped enclosure of one of those infernal 'boxes of elevation' as he believed them to be called. Of course, his mastery over the mystic arts rendered utterly nonexistent the necessity of such purely physical fetes – all the same, such enforced reliance upon magic wracked his crusty old heart with dark ire. Well…the darkest ire it was able to contain without failing him altogether.

As went without saying, were either option practical or comfortable he would have disdained them still – the mere suggestion that one such as he resort to crawling like an insect through the branches of a tree, the sorcerer would have taken as an unforgivable insult. So he would ensure to remind himself whenever confronted with the plain and simple fact that his age rendered him utterly _unable_ to do so...

Rancorous displeasure fading like mist from a pane of glass, Ixis Naugus materialised within his destination; the highest peak of ascension…the pinnacle from which The Goddesses themselves may have sung the song to bless the lands with life…the zenith of absolute power. And as those narrowed eyes silently swept Command Central, the sorcerer's teeth were bared in a ghastly grin.

_Ah…there you are!_

Two SWATbots stood in motionless silence, their backs turned obliviously upon him – hands clasped behind the very same, the cybernetic duo seemed quite at ease. An outward appearance which was in stark contrast to their actual readiness to act swiftly and lethally, should the figure they flanked happen to make the merest of sudden moves.

Clad in his flesh alone, the figure stood between the pair of android wardens – with bare arms lowered to his sides, he silently viewed footage of the recent epic conflict as the surveillance-monitor replayed it for a fourth time.

Like a crafty old scorpion, Naugus backed toward his throne of crystal – and as he moved, his eyes were so sharp as to halve diamonds straight down the middle. Once again, the sorcerer marvelled at the superficial similarities this man shared with his lackey - 'superficial' being a word that really could not have been emphasised strongly enough.

The man who had 'hatched' from that strange cocoon seemed honed to the point of physical perfection…or as close to it as any mortal can ever hope to reach. Those muscles…so taut, so powerful! Why, they seemed contained not by a layer of simple skin but a shell of burnished bronze! And most of all, the truth that Naugus had immediately seen…

Doctor Robotnik had been a tyrannical overlord, his mechanical empire safe-guarded by a vast army of robots. The man awakened only recently from a slumber of uncounted eons…was a warrior.

His eyes deeply speculative, Naugus greeted the only figure with whom he shared the oxygen-supply of Command Central. "You observed all that transpired, I take it?" the sorcerer's manner was akin to that of a great theatre lover asking for a fellow aficionado's opinion regarding the performance both had recently witnessed, "Would it please you to share whatever thoughts are yours?"

Though his manner seemed the very epitome of gracious hospitality, that which went on between the sorcerer's pointed ears was an altogether different tale – his true motive for extending that invitation was to test the water as it were. By the answer he received, Naugus would gauge the extent of his guest's compliancy. And by the results of this subtle experiment, the sorcerer planned to decide whether it would be more profitable to retain his present geniality…or to become somewhat forceful.

If the man was at all startled by that wheezing voice, not even the slightest twitch betrayed him – so great was his self-mastery, in fact, that not an inch of bare flesh shivered in the chill atmosphere of Command Central.

Yet his _eyes_…as the mind behind them became aware to the presence of another living breathing being, they _narrowed_.

Whether due to a realisation that he had little reason not to do so or a realisation that that his present situation gave him little _choice_ not to do so, he decided to honour the request of his esteemed host. After all…there was so much he did not know about this world in which he had woken.

"Matter of fact…"

The man called Zero at last broke his silence, his voice sounding rough as a sun-scorched rock and low as a king cobra slithering through an arid desert – as he turned from the surveillance-screen, it was with a fair degree of relief. Fascinating though the spectacle of a tattered yellow cape becoming wrapped around a furious face undeniably was, it seemed overwhelmingly like a scene out of some Saturday morning cartoon show.

"…I've been thinking; how in hell did a hedgehog get that fast anyway? And that's overlooking his uncanny proficiency in the sacred arts of strolling around on two feet and enunciating like the guest waffler of some cheesy daytime chat-show."

His shoulder bumped against that of the SWATbot to his right – as the affronted android turned a silent stare upon him, he passed the incident off without visible acknowledgement. Neither posturing nor bravado seemed to be involved – here was man who possessed either inordinate idiocy or a will of tempered steel.

"Now I think about it…I might have come across a word that would describe those walking talking fur-balls to a tee. _An_…_anthro_…was it '_anthropoid'_? Nah…I'm sure that word's got more connotations with _monkeys_. Still…" a quiet chuckle – for the first time since his awakening, Zero displayed humour. "…I think you'll have to admit that 'Planet of the Anthropoids' has itself an ominous ring!"

Revealed was the series of muscles which fit together to comprise that breath-taking physique – since he preferred his liquid refreshments be served in a crystal goblet, the sorcerer's vocabulary simply did not include the phrase 'six pack' which would now have been of inestimable use to him.

A chin so well formed as to have been the result of an army of miniscule chisels worked by expert hands – above it, a mouth that may well have reflected the shape of its owner's soul. The middle was set in a line of discipline, the left corner twisting down in a dark grimace while the right curled up in a sardonic smirk. Above that mouth, a pair of blade-like cheekbones which served to frame the nose.

And above that nose…_those eyes_.

Whites, pale as two spheres of exquisitely sculpted ice…green irises, intense as wreathes of emerald fire…pupils, dark as twin gateways to the cold emptiness of complete oblivion.

The mere sight of this man chilled Naugus right down to the brittle bone, fiendish devil though he was – had the face of Zero been on exhibition at a museum, the accompanying plaque would most surely have read; 'Man – Nature's Most Savage Son'.

Naugus nodded vaguely, his forehead creasing – in truth, the sorcerer hadn't the foggiest understanding of what the man had just said. _Such enigmas, he speaks of! Or does he merely seek to mock me? _"_Yes_…" he wheezed, rather at a loss for what on Mobius to add to these frankly bewildering sentiments. "…I quite _agree_! Yet the true meaning of what you have witnessed is not lost upon you, I trust?" the sorcerer's eyes glittered with unmistakable scorn as he cut straight to the heart of his lecture, "Science and technology; 'stones which pave the road to a greater future' these things are called. The tools by which a perfect civilisation shall be shaped and formed." A rasping hiss emerged from that barren throat – for an instant, the sorcerer seemed on the verge of rearing back and striking at this loathsome sentiment. "Pah! What you have just seen is irrefutable proof of the sheer folly of such things! Mindless rot, entirely too limited! That which the mindless masses consider the greatest of assets is in truth the greatest of liabilities! The more dependent people grow to become upon such infernal contraptions, the narrower do their minds! By relying upon the labour of lifeless automatons as opposed to the strength of their own backs, by turning to these so-called 'automatic intellects' rather than their own wits…they would set the course for the generations to come. Survival would be theirs, yes indeed, yet at the cost of their very souls. And so the river of time stagnates…for though they know not the insidious truth, the people have allowed themselves to become enslaved forever to _science and technology_." The sorcerer raised his gloved hand, clenching it in a gesture of defiance. "That bleak future I shall change before it comes…thus bringing an age of _sharp order_ to this world."

Sorcerer and soldier were interrupted by a sudden commotion – Doctor Robotnik was attempting to enter the room. Something he had done practically every day for the last decade yet now seemed to give him significant difficult – the source of obstruction was the thing which protruded like the trunk of a palm-tree from his irregularly loosened collar. Whatever it could be had inadvertently collided against the top of the arching doorway, sending the good Doctor staggering back out into the gloomy corridor – after a while in which he swayed in a daze, Robotnik stepped back and slowly hunched over.

The head supported by that long neck, Zero mistook at first for that of a reindeer – it was the bright-red nose. Another second was all he took him to recognise the head as that of a giraffe. Oddly enough…the head was not what struck him most about The Doctor's appearance.

"Boy…" plain disbelief was etched into Zero's hard-featured face, "…are you _fat_! I mean…my last year in high-school? There was this one guy who had some gland or something. But hey…" he shook his head slowly, unable to accept the reality before him. "…_man_!"

Robotnik had been in the process of entering the room, his back stooped at an excruciating angle – as that observation reached his detestably furry new ears, he raised those beady black eyes to stare ominously at the non-transmogrified man. Or at least attempted to do so – while it would have benefited him greatly in the pursuit of fresh and tasty leafs, the presence of his elongonated neck proved to be of immense detriment within the context of an indoor environment such as this. As that length of magically transformed flesh and bone connected by accident with the metal arch, The Doctor lost his balance with a bleat of anguish.

As the human slammed into the ground like sack of potatoes, that creaking cackle was the icing upon this humiliation-flavoured cake – intentionally or not, Zero had just succeeded in ingratiating himself with Naugus. "_Oho_! How succulently _scrumptious_! It would seem our guest possesses an eye most keen! Be _still_, my belaboured _heart_!" with the most casual snap of finger and thumb, the sniggering sorcerer restored his lackey's true form. "Yet what say _you_, Doctor? Does the arrow of our new friend's observation fly _true_?"

Robotnik was grunting and snorting as he struggled back to his shaking feet – though the human's head and neck had returned to their natural shapes, his nostrils remained raw and blistered as a result of their recent prolonged dalliance with hard concrete. The Doctor had raised his gloved hand to massage his incredibly sore nose – as he heard the question his master posed so slyly, it stopped as though frozen.

Moving so slowly that it was as though the sorcerer had transformed him into a life-sized marionette, Robotnik lowered both chunky arms down by his sides – his lips dry as a pair of salted pork-rinds, he sank to a level of cringing servility as would have put Snively out of a job. "Oh I assure you sincerely, My Lord; never have these ears been privy to words of such ringing truth!" he stammered, reaching a state that would have made the description 'nervous wreck' sound like a sarcastic understatement. Those eyes of yawning darkness stared at the surveillance-screen as though fascinated rather than repulsed by this endless replay of his most recent hour of failure – he looked the perfect picture of a servant too terrified to meet the gaze of one of his betters. "So lost a soul was mine before hearing them that I cannot comprehend how I was able to fumble my way through the darkness of a life that knew not the guiding light of such golden wisdom!"

Zero cringed as he witnessed this truly painful display of fawning. _That's just…pitiful. _The warrior thought with pure contempt – wild dog though he was, even he would sooner have died than crawl as his fellow man had just done. (It brought him little pride to acknowledge that he and Marshmallow Ass belonged to the same species…)

Naugus indulged in a petty chortle, "But such a lamentable host, am I!" he exclaimed, in his eyes an unnervingly playful glimmer. "Pray allow me to introduce you to my rotund-man…oho! That is to say, _right-hand_ man; Doctor Robotnik! It is my fervent hope that the two of you shall get along!"

Zero felt his mouth twist to form an especially black scowl. Why, he knew not for certain – yet all of a sudden, he was getting the weirdest feeling. It was akin to that of an itch he couldn't quite reach…only in this case it was not his back but his brain which felt irritated.

Great Weight's name…something about it just _bothered_ him.

When concentrating deeply on this strange riddle yielded no solution, Zero decided to try something a scosh less orthodox – one of many things life had taught him was that there was always more than a solitary perspective from which to look at something. Given that the bone of contention happened to be a name, there was really only one other angle from which it could be looked at – and as he began to read it backwards from the whiteboard of his mind, Zero knew just how damn stupid this was.

What dark secret did he expect to learn from this? That Fat Man's secret identity was in fact that of Count Dracula? If such was the case then the Prince of All Evil had really…

_Kintobor…!!!! _Zero felt his body tauten, this revelation searing him from within – hidden though they remained behind those set lips, his teeth clenched in silent savagery. _That guy...could he be__ Julian Kintobor? The President's…?!! _

Like an untamed stallion, he reined in that vast influx of fury – for the present at least, he would remain the unquestioning living weapon. The Hunter Executioner. It looked as though things were going to get interesting...and given everything the Spy Eye had already shown him, that was saying much indeed.

Like shards of shattered glass, Naugus' eyes gleamed – they had perceived the disturbance of his guest's disposition. Subtle as the forming of mountains and significant as the shifting of seismic plates, the sorcerer was certain that it had been triggered by the mention of his lackey's name. _Evermore does this web of intrigue expand…yet which of them is the spider?_ "A fathomless mystery is the force that guides us to our destiny - yet see how it has united we three beneath the sky of Mobius. Doubtless the hand of fate has some purpose for transcending time and space in order to bring us together – great or small though it may or may not be, I would learn more of this. Yes…much there is that I would know." Naugus stroked that bearded chin, his eyes seeming not to blink – pale and reptilian, they gazed at the human as though seeing a hitherto untouched realm of possibilities. "Much we shall discuss, you and I. And after…" into two sharp points, the corners of that dried up mouth curved to form a grin of cruelty. "…I shall have a task for you."

As he teased this conversation toward the topic which most interested him, Naugus thought again of the crux of that same matter; the child whom fate had both dangled before him and then snatched away on that very evening. The cub of whom The Princess had been so fiercely protective…the fox whom the sorcerer knew was not at all what he seemed.

Being so enlightened, Naugus alone had seen the fox-cub for that which he truly was. A spirit of magic bound in mortal flesh, a gift from the Goddesses of the heavens to a weary world, the mythical being itself. The Kitsune Fox.

Naugus felt his features drift into an expression of childlike joy as he tried to remember everything he could about that magnificent creature – the sorcerer simply could not wait to dissect it!

It had cost Robotnik an immense exertion of self-control in order to remain a blank slate under the gazes of his companions – when at last his gut decreed the coast to be clear as it ever became for him to lower his guard, the downfallen dictator's face contorted into a gorgon-like glare. No longer frozen like a mouse afraid of feeling the cat's paw upon him at any moment, The Doctor allowed his eyes to stray from the repeating images of today's utter debacle – he had refrained from dragging his heels in returning, the thought of going anywhere near Naugus so soon outweighed by the thought of seeing more of the night prior's 'discovery'.

Having spent ten years considering himself the last one, Robotnik could barely begin to believe that he stood now in the presence of another human – his nephew had never counted. On the evolutionary scale, The Doctor had always placed Snively on the level of 'parasitic growth' rather than 'homo sapien'.

Robotnik's hulking shoulders had been steady as he turned to study Zero – as he received an unpleasant surprise, they heaved.

For a fleeting second, Zero's eyes had been upon him – and whether it had been the most inconsequential of glances or a scrutinising stare, The Doctor felt as though two shards of glass had sliced into the tissue of his brain.

Just as quickly as it had arrived, the moment of silent intensity passed – yet as Zero gave at least the appearance of attention to the words of Naugus, Robotnik was left shaken.

Left to stand unnoticed until required to perform some predictably demeaning task, Robotnik was haunted by the memory of those piercing eyes - failure to understand what had disturbed him so brought him swiftly to frustration which led in turn to inevitable anger.

_This man…who is he? I had never seen him prior to last night...why did those eyes burn so vengefully as they pierced my soul?_

**_End of Interlude_**

_Author Notes - I'll start work on Chapter Nine soon._


	11. Faith Betrayed

_Author Notes - Well, here we go...the latest chapter! Y'know, it was my birthday last friday...one of the things I got was "Legend of Zelda - The Wind Waker" for the Nintendo Game Cube. The funny thing was that I'd actually never ever succeeded in finishing a Zelda game...until about a week beforehand when (over ten years since it first came out, mind you) I completed "Legend of Zelda - A Link To The Past" for the very first time! I feel really lucky that my 'curse' has been broken in time for me to play "Wind Waker"..._

_By the waaaay...has anyone else read the webcomic "Something Positive"? Heh, if not...then you really should!! Davan, Pejee and Aubrey...they aren't just a power trio, they're THE power trio and don't you ever forget it!!_

_Anyhow...enjoy!!_

**Chapter Nine**

**Tell Me Tails; Faith Betrayed**

The clock had just passed twelve – in the huts of the villagers who actually _owned_ a clock that was to say.

Out on the grassy plains, time was measured not by minutes and hours – the stars were arrayed in full, their pale fire burning against the satin-blue sky. And like the opposite side of a coin, Knothole Village shone with the warm glow of candle-light.

Midnight; a time by which most would normally be tucked up snug and warm, bound for the land of dreams if they were not already there.

But tonight was different – tonight, not even one of the villagers lay abed.

The heap of hay shone like golden thread in the rich light radiating from the gathered crowd – creations of clever paws, there had been a time when many had fervently believed these paper lanterns to possess power to keep the forces of evil at bay. Yet it had been a wholly different reason for which Rosie the Nanny had solemnly taught her fellow villagers to make paper lanterns of their very own.

The strong and youthful of body, the elderly and infirm of age…the fur-coated mammals, feather-bodied birds, reptiles of frictionless form. Some held onto either a child or life-partner, others rested a reassuring paw upon the shoulder of a friend or neighbour who had neither…some simply stood with their eyes closed as though in prayer.

Yes…each and every member of this hidden community had gathered in order to pray for the swift and safe return of their shield against the force that sought to destroy them, their light in the darkness, their heroes of undying hope.

And at the head of the assembly, the magisterial figure of a King in exile – gazing into the dark mouth of the tree-slide, the eyes of Maximillian Acorn were as two live fire-flies encased in amber. As he waited in pensive silence, one concern weighed upon His Majesty's mind; not the monstrous twisted city which had once been his, not even the machine which might mean redemption for the countless number of people whom he had failed on that accursed day of ten years ago.

No…over the nineteen hours which had passed since dawn, Maximillian Acorn had thought only of her. The daughter for whom his love had only grown during their years of separation, continually drawing him back from the sheer madness which had so often seemed his only hope of sweet release from that inter-dimensional gulag known as The Void – the daughter whom meant everything in the world to him.

And whom he had permitted to walk into the deadly jaws of Robotropolis this day – dignified though he outwardly remained, The King was in truth bowed down by guilt.

As he remembered every wasted year spent tormenting himself by wondering whether Sally was alive or dead, The King felt upon his tongue the bitter taste of irony – though he had at last escaped The Void, it was as though not a thing had changed. Bound to his people by the responsibilities of noble blood, he often felt trapped in the village…while Sally continued to venture forth and fight for the sake of all despite the fact that she had been reunited at last with the one whose duty it was to protect _her_.

As his eyes closed in weariness, The King once again asked himself _why_; why did he stand by and allow his only daughter to return to that dark and dangerous place? And once again, he came back to the sole answer…the only reason why he'd not forbidden Sally ever again to set a toe near Robotropolis.

To The King, Sally was the whole world; the only loved one whom fate had not ripped cruelly from his arms, the only life he had played a part in creating. She was his bluebird of happiness...and some birds were just far too wonderful to be caged even for safety.

Thus with a heavy heart, Maximillian Acorn permitted his only daughter to continue daring danger…because his most cherished wish was to see her happy. _The trials of The King…and the tribulations of a parent. Truth be to tell…I cannot say which are the most arduous to endure. _It was a funny old world - that most royal moustache gave a twitch as he who had cultivated it reflected upon this daily dilemma.

Despite the night having long since fallen, The King's smile was as the first light of day – and as it spread slowly, his ears twitched in response to a most peculiar sound.

It was the whistle of ascent – and as he hearkened unto it, his soul brimmed with both relief and dread. For he felt he knew what this sound meant.

Mastering himself, Maximillian Acorn ordered his eyes to open…

And from that shadowy opening they came; with a blur of blue and a streak of scarlet, two figures glided gracefully through the air and disappeared into the depths of the heaped hay.

Maximillian Acorn's eyes glowed with such benevolence that it was as though the sun had risen seven hours prematurely as the head of a familiar hedgehog boy emerged from the hay…followed shortly after by that of a squirrel maiden whom The King would have recognised had he been blind.

_And so…the prodigy returns!_

As he plucked first one and then another leg from the heap, Sonic experienced the oddest feeling – and the big twist was that this jarring sensation was due neither to the mouthful of hay he'd just received or the utter silence with which his truly impressive entrance had been met.

Turning to offer his congenial companion an assisting paw, Sonic found himself gazing at _her_ again; the stranger who wore the face of the squirrel he loved.

Sally removed a stalk of hay from the rat's nest that was her hair, the movement slow and stiff as that of a robot – those blue eyes appeared glazed over, the windows of her soul coated by dense layers of frost.

Since commencing the homeward bound, The Princess had been lost within her thoughts – every wearisome step of the way back to Knothole, she'd kept to herself and exchanged not so much as a word with the other Freedom Fighters. Not that any member of the group had felt inclined to break the unbearable silence…given the event that had caused it. Only when they'd at last crossed the threshold of The Great Forest had Sonic given Sally a playful nudge, suggesting that the two of them take the tree-slide…together. And for the sake of avoiding an argument with the persistent hedgehog, Sally had nodded in silent agreement – after all, splitting from the rest of the group would give her a little time away from the wondering eyes of her friends.

Time away from _him_…

As the hedgehog's paw closed around her own, Sally's eyes rose…and their aloof coldness thawed at the wonderful sight of her father standing not even a yard away. Often since the day he had returned, The Princess had wondered whether the surge of joy she always felt in his presence was somewhat childish – now she knew better. Far better.

If indeed her heart existed in two interlocking pieces…then he was the glue which bound them together. He who had taught her the importance of seeing those in pain through eyes of compassion, of extending the paw of friendship to those who needed it…in short, how to love. In so many ways, he'd made her who she was. He was her…

"Father…" Sally breathed, her heart welling with emotion as she gazed at the one whom she had learned never to take for granted. Love could endure eternity…a loved one could be snatched away in a heartbeat. And knowing this…what more could she do than keep her heart open? "…oh father!"

King Acorn's moustache quivered as his daughter appeared before him like a pearl from an opened clam. "Sally…" and to his eye, never had a pearl looked so exquisite. "…you are returned safely!"

The people stood by in apprehensive silence – whenever The Freedom Fighters returned from a mission, the villagers would all be waiting to welcome them back with applause such as to wake the farthest echoes of The Great Forest. Yet now they held back in uncertainty...

Sonic and Sally had once again survived the Hell on Mobius that was Robotropolis, for that all present were incredibly thankful…but what had become of the other Freedom Fighters? Had Antoine's long streak of fool's luck finally failed him? Was Bunnie's vivacious smile lost to them all forever? Had Ari fallen to the iron-fisted might of The SWATbots? Was Tails robbed of his future…as well as his life?

And last yet not least of all…what of the prize they had all braved and endured so much in order to attain? Where…was _it_? Had the champions of Knothole failed in their desperate venture? Was the last ray of hope for the damned irretrievably extinguished?

The villagers' increasingly morbid train of collective thought was brought to a screeching halt…as all heard the moan of pulleys.

Glowing lanterns were lifted toward the source of that sound. And light of an altogether different sort erased the gloom that had clouded many faces…

From the cliff-top, it descended smoothly; a broad platform comprised from a number of logs lashed together in the method by which rafts were often constructed. Just like the wooden cart, this contraption had emerged very recently from Rotor's workshop – knowing that the elevator he and the others had used for so many years could not possibly accommodate the heaviness of the weight which would soon need to be borne, the walrus had gotten to work without delay. He'd been surprised by the response his request for help in the gathering of logs and rope had received – never before had such a number of the other villagers been so eager to assist in his latest project.

Everyone in the village had known the purpose of Rotor's work - and in the light of all that success would mean for their world, they had risen magnificently to the occasion. As the new elevator came down into sight, the wall of silence was shattered by the greatness of the cheer which went up – for this triumph belonged to everyone who lived in Knothole.

As the elevator drew nearer to ground-level, Sally's attention roved from one to another of the figures she saw at its edge. There was Rotor, clearly caught between the urge to grin proudly as all his hard work paid off and the urge to blush profusely as he received such a handsome welcome – in the end, the walrus seemed to decide just to wing it and run with both. And there was Bunnie, her eyes dancing as she blew smacking kisses down to the ecstatic villagers – with her cybernetic paw, she took hold of Antoine's wrist and compelled him to flash the crowd a thumbs-up.

At the leftmost edge of the lowering platform stood Ari – though the side of his body was the most she could see of him, Sally could not help but gaze at the ram. His body seemed the same as always and indeed it was – yet now that he was divested of that loathsome SWATbot armour, The Princess privately thought he looked better than ever before. As she wondered why, Sally was struck by the ram's sagging shoulders – with a silent gasp of exasperation, the squirrel realised that her comrade still nursed a sense of guilt over the failure of his mission. Analysing that resigned stance, Sally ventured an educated guess that Ari was steeling himself before coming face-to-face with a certain somebody – looking keenly across her shoulder, The Princess saw that this very somebody was also gazing up at the ram.

And though regret was plain to see therein, not the faintest hint of anger flashed in the eyes of King Acorn – as the return of Ari revealed that the infiltration attempt had met with failure, His Majesty's expression was one of serene acceptance. As a wise person had once told him, to fight a war was to be as the tide; there were always wins and losses. With the latter, one would be forced to fall back…and with the latter, one would advance. The trick was to take the rough with the smooth…and with unyielding resolve, each individual triumph would lead one day to that last shining victory.

"_Rotor-Rotor,_

_One of us!_

_Rotor-Rotor,_

_Knothole's Premier Walrus!_"

("Hey, no s-s-sweat! Really, y-y-you all helped t-t-too!")

"_Bunnie_,

_Bunnie,_

_We...love...ye_!"

("Awww! Yuh all sweetah than sugah!")

"_Way to go,_

_Antonio_!"

("Antoine! Ant_oine_ is being my name! I am rating it when others are rinsing their nerds!")

"_Gosh,_

_Damn,_

_Thank you,_

_Ram_!"

"_Sonic_…_he can really move_!

_Sonic_…_he's got an attitude_!

_Sonic_…_he's the fastest thing ali-i-ive_!"

("Thank you, dudes and dudettes of Knothole, thank you!")

"_You rule, Sally_!

_Literally as well as figuratively_!"

Sally put both paws to her mouth and laughed, deeply moved – it appeared that a great deal of creativity (to put it kindly) had been poured into this welcoming reception! All the same…she could not help but marvel at the sheer incongruity of it all. That truly evil device had destroyed countless innocent lives…yet the villagers now applauded thunderously as they witnessed its descent into their home.

_Mobians happy to see The Roboticizer…I never thought the day would dawn! _With a bemused shake of the head, Sally decided not to dwell upon it – instead she reminded herself of what Bunnie had declared back in Robotropolis. _Darkness shall fade…and I swear that tomorrow will be a beautiful day._

The very air seemed to make way for that majestic tail as Maximillian Acorn turned to face his subjects – as his golden smile reached them, the Mobians ceased one by one to cheer and awaited the words of their sovereign. "My fellow Mobians. My people. My friends." The King's voice was warm as a summer wind - his paws planted upon his hips, he could feel the pure joy now coursing through the villagers like the water of life into the roots of a great tree. "On this day, a mighty blow has been struck against the shackles which entrap our friends and families! Soon those same chains shall crumple like paper and be cast to the wind at last – for our mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters shall be prisoners within their own bodies nevermore! Near draws the dawn of the day when all free Mobians shall stand united! Yes! Standing shoulder to shoulder, we shall fight with all the strength we possess; together shall we drive darkness from Mobius forever!" sensing that his audience was about to give another en mass cheer, The King wagged a finger. "But of course…" he winked at them all, his eyes twinkling with humour. "…we shall slay _that dragon_ when the time comes for us to venture into _that lair_! For _now_…"

"_Hey_!" a voice boomed from the very back of the crowd – a certain green and scaly member of the community looked decidedly wounded as she peered over the heads of her friends and neighbours. "_Ix-nay_ on the _Agondray Ayingslay_, Your Majesty!"

As he turned to help Sally down, Sonic shot a grin over his shoulder. "Bit of a Faux Paw, Max!" he exclaimed, "Uh…I mean, _Pas_! Faux _Pas_! I always get those two mixed up…"

King Acorn joined the villagers as they erupted into merry laughter, "My apologies, O Dulcet Dulcy!" he exclaimed, his voice as grimly humourless as he was able to make it. "Pray allow the tactless remark of an overly loose tongue to pass! This is a time for rejoicing…not the most ideal moment for my toes to be chilled by your vengeful breath, I am certain that you can understand!"

Guided by a strong yet gentle paw, Sally touched down on firm ground – yet the squirrel felt distinctly wrong-footed (so to speak) as she saw a figure hurrying toward her. "Oh!" she exclaimed, a pleasant if somewhat awkward smile blossoming on her face. "Good evening! By any chance, is there something I may…?"

An elderly vole now stood before Sally – her lips quivered as she gazed at the squirrel, four root-like fingers raking repeatedly through a head of foam-white curls. "You have done enough, Your Highness!" cried old Mrs Campagnol, wringing her gnarled paws together. "Because of you, there is a chance that I will be reunited with my dear husband!" apparently unable to control herself, she reached out and took The Princess' paws into her own. "It has been so long…so many years since that truly horrible day! Every moment I have lived without my sweet Ethan …has been one of pain. But because of what you have done…I may see him again!"

Those eyes brimmed with tears of raw emotion. As her paws were squeezed, Sally felt a lump take up residence in her throat – The Princess swallowed heavily, overwhelmed by the old vole's simple gratitude. "You need not thank me, old mother." She answered huskily, unsurprised to feel her cheeks grow wet. "Having been able to bring light into your life is reward enough. With both heart and soul, I will pray that your husband is soon returned to you."

At this, the vole gave a sob. "Bless you, my dear!" she exclaimed, "Bless you!"

Gazing over the vole's head, Sally discovered that this little scene had been observed by her father – any fear that he might be angered by this interruption proved fleeting as the life-span of a candle burning in the wind. As she gazed into those compassionate eyes, the squirrel felt deeply ashamed – many people would have been made harsh and bitter by ten years of imprisonment within The Void. But not the greatest ruler whom Mobius had ever known…not her father!

Yet The King's warmth was clearly mixed with sorrow – and The Princess felt that she understood why. Mrs Campagnol's roboticized husband…though his transformed body could have endured up until now, his mind had been in no such way protected. For so long now, Ethan Campagnol had suffered torment such that no soul deserved…unable even to scream. Physically, he might yet be saved…mentally, there was no guarantee whatsoever that he would be the vole his wife had so adored.

As this reflection threatened to convert golden joy into leaden depression, Sally turned her gaze from the teary-eyed vole – it was picked up by that of Sonic whose grin spread so wide it practically eclipsed the rest of his face. "I wuz wrong, Sal." The hedgehog remarked enigmatically.

Sally raised an eyebrow, "Oh really?" she pressed, her tone light as a stray canary feather – in her mind, the squirrel was studying a three-hundred page list of possible answers to the question she was about to ask. "And what were you wrong about, Sonic?"

"When we got ta' the edge o' The Forest…I figured, journey's end. It wuz like we'd finally _made_ it, ya know? But _then_…" Sonic swept an arm toward the crowd of friends and families all now laughing and crying together, "…we got _here_." Not for a second had his eyes left hers – and as the hedgehog came to his point, they shone. "An' _now_ we've made it. _You_ an' _me_, Sal! _You_ an' _me_ ta' _eternity_!"

Sally smiled warmly – but if the hopeful hedgehog was still angling for the kiss that got away, he was in for another disappointment.

All the while, Sally had been putting something off – yet she knew that she could do so no longer. Pausing only for a deep breath, The Princess did this thing – and the result was not at all what she'd expected.

A certain spot upon the elevator, Sally had not so much as glanced at – as a matter of fact, she had been exceedingly careful to ensure that her gaze avoid it entirely.

Not the spot which accommodated the principal components of The Roboticizer – for the squirrel, the pieces of that dismantled machine held no more fear than the severed limbs of some slain monster. No, the spot Sally's eyes had steered clear of…was that upon which _he_ stood.

Or rather…the spot upon which he'd stood a couple of minutes ago.

As Sally turned to him again, the hedgehog took an involuntary step back. "Sonic…" she breathed, her eyes suddenly hard enough to halt the advance of a _million _Ground Tanks. "…where is _Tails_?"

* * *

And as that cacophony of deafening jubilation reached it, Snively cocked his ear as sullenly as a dog left chained in a kennel - well, that metaphor could not _quite _have been applied to the morose man's present situation.

To a gloomy cave at the edge of a meadow filled with blooming buttercups and mouth-watering sunshine, his hut could have been justly compared – yet the fact remained that he was free to leave it whenever such was his desire.

Perhaps this set of circumstances could be compared instead to that of a schoolboy sitting in detention whilst a long-awaited sporting-event took place nearby – it was but a second before he clicked his tongue dismissively. For one thing, he had rarely set foot in the dread Detention Hall…except for the occasions on which the oh so entertaining antics of the pack of laughing hyenas known otherwise as his schoolmates had led him there. For another, he had never felt the slightest interest in such physical activities…save to show a contemptuous eye to those who _did_ so indulge. Well…whenever their backs were safely turned, of course.

And at the end of the day…there remained the fact that he could always walk out the door.

Then Snively spared a thought for Ebenezer Scrooge – at once, he knew he'd found it at last. The perfect comparison to his own situation. _Yes…Scrooge, tending to his own business as well as minding it…before those sickening carol-singers came along to interrupt him. _So aptly compatible that situation was with his own…that it fit like a latex glove around his clammy fingers.

As he rose and went to the glassless window, Snively wore a frown; one so deep that The Mona Lisa might invited him to dance if the theory that opposites attract was correct to any degree.

The erratic manner in which those distant points of light now danced suggested that The Dream Team of Knothole had at last returned – his eyes narrowing, Snively found that he was compelled to reconsider the merits of the high-school comparison.

_What with the crowd of cheering peers and the tenuously rhyming mantras, all that appears to be missing are the water-boy and the unbearably cute mascot…_

A moment later, Snively bitterly regretted having tempted fate…

"Heeey, _Snively_!" Tails cried, appearing in the doorway without warning – the long-nosed human flinched as though the beam of an exceptionally powerful flashlight had been shone in his face. "What're _you_ up to?"

Snively wasted no words – which wasn't to say that he uttered not a single one. As a matter of fact, two was the exact number of words he now breathed – but from his point of few, neither could have been considered a waste. "_Get out_!!" he snarled, lunging forward – with a vicious kick, the door was slammed in the fox-cub's face.

Pleased with this masterly handling of the situation, Snively returned to his seat – resuming work, he entertained himself with the fantasy that the villagers had finally come to their senses and decided to roast a certain blue hedgehog alive as part of a satisfyingly protracted and painful satanic ritual. And just as a twisted smile warped those pale lips, Snively felt it…a peculiar moistness pressing into the back of his scrawny neck.

With a cry of bewildered horror, Snively shot from the chair like a firework and whirled around to see…

The door having proven unavailable, Tails had made his entrance via the window – finding his warmly welcoming host perfectly oblivious to that very entrance, the mischievous cub simply hadn't been able to resist it. "You know…" despite the greasy aroma that lingered in his twitching nostrils, he wore a grin as the human glared scathingly down at him. "…I guess a cold nose _can_ be a useful thing to have!"

Snively wondered just what the penalty would be for tying the fox's tails into a knot – make that _several_ knots. "Get off my property, kid." He growled, wiping disgustedly at the back of his neck.

As sentiments go, it was direct and blunt…and seemed to go sailing clear over the cub's head. "So…what are you doing in here?" Tails persisted, his curiosity clear as The Great River.

Snively wondered if this was how Garfield had felt whenever Nirmel sauntered onto panel, "At this precise moment, I happen to be assembling an experimental device." He explained in his most non-encouraging tone of voice, "In laymen's terms, the function of said device is to either activate or deactivate the lighting-system of one's hut via electronic signal thus eliminating the need to do so by hand. An occupation otherwise referred to as The Remarkably Complicated And Boring Task Which Can Hold No Possible Interest For Small And Insufferably Irritating Children. And now that I have satiated your youthful curiosity, you may feel free to satiate my middle-aged longing for solitude by _going awa_…"

"Neato!" Tails enthusiastically exclaimed, abandoning his game attempt at listening patiently to that stream of overlong and overcomplicated words. "Let me help! I know lots about computers and stuff! C'mon, let me!"

Snively opened that rubbery mouth, intent on telling the fox-cub to go _jump_ in The Great River – he stayed his acid tongue just in time, struck by the possible scenario of this ascribable brat running and whining to Her Highness. "Oh but your paws are simply _certain_ to be coated with _dirt_ and _cookie-crumbs_..." he grumbled desperately.

Tails beamed, "_Nuh_-uh!" he asserted, holding his paws out for inspection – to his profound chagrin, Snively saw that they were indeed spotlessly clean.

Snively frowned, "Nuh…uh." He echoed the cub's words slowly and deliberately, "You really _must_ explain that phrase to me one of these days. Verbal incontinence aside, not _all_ you say need be a meaningless waste of breath."

"C'mon!" wearing an expression so serious that he might have been challenging Bunnie to an arm-wrestling contest, Tails cracked his knuckles. "Let's do it to it!"

Just as he had done at yesterday morning's meeting, Snively winced deeply. "You know…" he hissed through clenched teeth, "…you'll develop arthritis through doing that!"

Tails grinned, sensing that the human was just stalling. "You're not gonna believe what happened today!" he exclaimed, "It was a mission to remember, all right!"

As he returned to his seat for a third time, Snively frowned severely. "I…have no particular desire to hear about it." He replied in that same non-pressing manner.

Yet hear Snively did – even as he slowly dripped hot solder onto a circuit-board held by the paws of the thoughtful fox, the bony-bodied human listened intently to Tails' account of the day's adventures at Robotropolis. And each time the plentiful _mis_adventures of Doctor Robotnik were dwelt upon, he simply gurgled with ill-natured delight. "Oh frabjous day!" he laughed, "So he's lost weight, eh? Well…he's such a vast surplus supply that I dare say he hasn't yet noticed! And you say he appeared…unwell? But Tails, this is simply wonderful to hear! Oh, you must take remember to take a camera when next you go! And be certain also to inform my Dearest Uncle that I wish him all the joys of ill-health! Would that a chemical laboratory lay at my disposal…I would concoct such divinely dire plagues especially for him!"

And despite himself, Tails wriggled uncomfortably in his seat – given what had gone down today, it was extremely unlikely that there would even _be_ a next time for him so far as missions in Robotropolis were concerned. But that was not what disturbed so. That dubious distinction went to the great pleasure which Snively clearly took in the misery and suffering of the flesh of his own flesh, the blood of his own blood; his uncle.

But repulsed though it made him feel…the fox-cub could not deny the fascination aroused within him. "Why, Snively? Isn't it enough that you're free of him?" he dared ask, "Why do you…" he searched for words to finish the question – being so bright, he didn't take long. "…love to hate?"

As he suffered this truly foolish question, Snively felt his lip curl – the longer this cub talked, the clearer it became that there was simply no Off Switch for his Naiveté Machine. Free, was he? Anything but! He no longer tiptoed in constant fear of provoking his uncle's volcanic fury, it was true – yet though all was now outwardly different, inwardly nothing had changed at all.

All those beatings, all that humiliation, all that torture…all by the hand of the man he had once yearned to call 'father' instead of the man whom _had_ been his father.

Broken bones could be set, wounds would eventually close…yet once grievously damaged, minds were not so easily mended. And for a psyche so scarred as his, there could be no healing…though he could never expect that to be understood by this cub who had never so much as brushed against what he himself had _lived_ for an entire decade.

Snively experienced a fresh urge to order Tails from him – yet this time he abstained from that reaction to the fox's presence. _After all…why not? I can answer a little question…even though he will not understand what he hears. _"He made a promise to me long ago. A promise he then gleefully broke at the first opportunity." He laid bare the root of the hate he bore for his uncle – and as he slyly turned this conversation against the cub, his voice was as poisoned honey. "Just as The Freedom Fighters have broken the promise _they_ made to _you_…if my instincts inform me correctly, that is. _Tell_ me Tails…_do_ they correctly inform?"

Tails did not respond immediately – for a while, he sat with his downcast eyes fixed upon the circuit-board he was holding. And just as Snively dared hope that the cub would at last leave…

"You were…right. Everything turned out the way you said it would. Everything. I tried so hard to be brave and strong like the others…and they couldn't shoot me down fast enough. They didn't let me come because they knew I could help the cause…so that I could prove myself. They took me so they could be sure I wouldn't do something dumb…something to '_prove what a danger I am to myself and everyone around me_'." If the fox-cub had sounded depressed mere seconds ago, pure and unmistakable bitterness saturated his voice as he quoted that description. "They don't want me to be a Freedom Fighter…they don't even want me to be my own person. They want me to be the kid whose innocence they managed to protect during the war."

Even as the words rolled heavily from his tongue, Tails couldn't believe he was uttering them – yet as shame over badmouthing his friends threatened to staunch the flow of words, the _memory_ rose to drive it back.

They were true…each and every word was true. Why not let them come…let them be said?

They were supported by the sentiments expressed by Bunnie that morning…by the fact that she was prepared to remain locked in her partially roboticized state in order to preserve _his_ state of _complete innocence_. They were borne out by the willingness of Sally to humiliate him in front of everybody he knew…and as he thought about that final apocalyptic scene in The Badlands, Tails really did have to round of his little speech.

The _memory_ was causing his tongue to swell with unendurable shame…

"Like I said…you were right, I was wrong. At least _you're_ straight with me."

Snively was staring at him in wonder – the things he'd said last night had been meant purely to shut Tails' mouth. The human hadn't dreamt that his words would so affect the fox…and now he saw that they had, he couldn't think of a single thing to say in answer.

Fortunately for Snively, the formulation of a response proved wholly unnecessary…

"Well…I certainly hope that I'm not interrupting anything."

Tails jumped as though pecked by a Dragon Dove – as the partly soldered circuit-board clattered across the table, he gazed over his shoulder. And as he did, his mouth set into an unfriendly line…

Sally stood in the doorway, paws planted against the sides of her hips – and as she gazed upon the little scene before her, her expression made it crystal clear that she was not a happy camper at all. The Princess had not been best pleased to be informed by Bunnie of how Tails had suddenly flown from the elevator, yelling that he'd see them all later – The Princess was far _more_ displeased to find the fox-cub _here_.

As she turned her most royal attention toward him, a wave of apprehension passed through Snively – was he now to be punished for having dared attempt to corrupt the youth of Knothole?

The moment of nervous dread ended in relief - evidently Sally hadn't arrived at the doorway in time to hear what had been said. Furthermore her clear displeasure over having discovered Tails keeping company with him, she apparently chose not to air in front of her cherished charge. "As I am sure you now know…" she began, her voice like a pair of silver scissors cutting through the awkward silence which had descended like an invisible matinee. "…The Roboticizer has come to Knothole." This point, Snively acknowledge with the slightest of nods. "Then you know also that we will soon require your assistance." As she continued to speak, the squirrel stepped into the hut – halting before the work-table and leaning slightly forward, she gazed at the human whose wariness was rekindled. "May I have five minutes or so of your time? There's something I want to ask you…"

Snively's left eye narrowed into a guarded squint – he still felt unsettled whenever she whom he had wronged many times insisted upon making reasonable requests rather than unconditional demands of him. "Ever at your service, Princess." He oozed in a manner which would have put to shame the serpent on whose recommendation Eve had tasted the apple of supreme knowledge.

Sally opened her mouth…then decided that she was in no mood to make the usual correction tonight. With a simple nod, she thanked him – redirecting her gaze, she looked at the silent Tails. "Go outside and wait for me. I have things to say to you." She bade him, her manner short and simple.

Tails scowled – yet as he opened his mouth with every intention of inquiring as to when the 'freedom' aspect of The Freedom Fighters came into play, Sally's face hardened. And now it contained not a hint of the affectionate smile which welcomed to breakfast each morning – nor did he feel a trace of the comfort she'd once given him simply by sitting beside his bed for several nights after he'd looked into a copy of The Mobian Encyclopaedia Of Oceanography and accidentally glimpsed a picture of The Humpback Anglerfish.

What he saw now in her eyes was stern authority; do as you are told, when you are told. To obey that silent command went against the grain…yet just the thought of The Princess going all Psycho Terminator on him again was far worse.

Without a word, Tails rose to his feet – pausing only to kick his chair back beneath the table, the fox stalked toward the door. And with each step he took, he knew that Sally's eyes followed him.

As he stepped out of the hut, Tails was boiling with anger – and along with the flattening of his ears there came a sudden determination. If Sally really thought that he was going to stand out here like a bad little cub awaiting punishment, she would soon find that she had something else coming. _Just think of the look on her face when she comes out to yell at me again…and finds me gone! _The fox-cub smirked as he saw it in his mind's eye – yet it was a scene which never made it past the imaginary stage.

Tails was stopped dead by the first sight to meet his eyes upon exiting the hut; this particular sight proved to be uniquely blue and not unattractively spiny, a sight whose first name began with an 'S' and whose last began with an 'H'. "Wotcha, Sonic!" the fox-cub grinned, adopting a cockney accent he was sure would make the hedgehog proud. "What's up, guv?"

Sonic stood beside the door, an unusually cool expression on his face – not 'cool' in the sense of being the best there was and _knowing_ it but 'cool' in the sense of gazing at the fox-cub as though seeing him clearly for the very first time. "The sky." The hedgehog answered without his customary grin, "So _c'mon_…what?"

Tails felt as though he'd just gone for a hug only to find himself pushed away, "C'mon, what…_what_?" he asked, unsure as to why a defensive scowl now crossed his muzzle.

"Ya _know_ what, kid. I mean…ya developed a taste for slummin' it now?" Sonic uncrossed his arms – as he leant toward the fox, his eyes grew kinder. "Lissen', bud…I don't want ya hangin' around wit' _that guy_." With a nod, he indicated the hut from which his young friend had just emerged. "Trust me, he ain't no good for ya! _Seriously_!"

As he listened to this little speech, Tails' expression grew stubborn. "I don't get it." He said bluntly, "You and the others hang with Snively – why shouldn't _I_? Don't _you_ trust _me_?"

Sonic felt taken off-guard – the last thing the hedgehog had expected had been for the fox to use his own argument against him like that. "Ya don't need ta' ask _that_, big guy!" he exclaimed, "It's _him_ I don't trust! What I'm tryin' ta' say is, me an' the others know what we're doin'! Don'cha see? We let that guy stay here 'cuz we need what he's got up _there_!" with one paw, he motioned to his head. "But that don't mean we can trust him for a sec…I mean, heck, Snively ain't like _us_! Fifty-fity, Tails…that's what it is, us lettin' him stay in Knothole. A chance we're willin' ta' take…just how long it's gonna be 'til our bud Snively reverts ta' form. An' when he does…_Tails_, I don't wan'cha mixed up in it!"

Tails had been listening intently – and as the hedgehog had spoken so earnestly, the fox had cast his mind back once more to Snively's words of the night prior. "So let me get this straight." He began, his voice slow and thoughtful. "You're saying that you guys act like Snively's welcome in Knothole…when really you're all sleeping with knives under your pillows?"

Sonic stared at the cub, disbelief all over his face. "Ya mean that ya _haven't_?" he exclaimed as though that concept was the most obvious thing on all of Mobius.

Tails' ears burned as Sally's voice reached them;

"So you're saying that we may be able to discover a way of reversing the effects…by reverse-engineering the machine itself?"

Surprised to hear genuine enthusiasm in the squirrel's voice, Tails glanced curiously over his shoulder – back inside the hut, Snively scratched his greasy head thoughtfully. Standing before him, Sally seemed dangerously near to bouncing on the balls of her feet – even from this angle, Tails could tell that she had brought her paws together in delight.

The fox-cub sensed that her lips now formed a radiant smile – and with a peculiar ache, he realised that he wished he could see it.

"_Yes_…" Snively agreed, his inflection stretching out that solitary word like a piece of elastic. "…I am of the belief that it can be done. It could take any length of time from six months to six years…and Sir Charles' assistance will be required since it was he who designed the original model. But…_yes_. I believe the thing to be quite doable."

"Oh…that is so wonderful, Snively! I, that is to say, we all…"

Carried away by the excitement of the moment, Sally made as though to do the utterly unthinkable; shake Snively by the hand. Yet if such an unheard of notion truly had been in her mind then she entertained it for a fleeting second only.

As he watched The Princess withdraw her paw awkwardly, Tails felt his scowl deepen – all of a sudden, he felt hotly indignant on Snively's behalf. After all…hadn't the human worked hard since coming to Knothole? And wouldn't he soon be working harder than ever before? And toward the goal of erasing his most cardinal sin no less? It was true that much bad blood existed between the two of them…yet since she had accepted his help, Tails felt that the least Sally could have done was offer Snively the paw of gratitude.

As they returned to Sonic, Tails' eyes were cool and steady. "You know…I think I get it now." He remarked, nodding his head as though he'd just had an epiphany.

Sonic nodded, relieved that he'd made the fox _see_. "That's swell, T2!" he exclaimed as that trademark grin made an appearance at last. "Glad you an' I see eye-ta'…"

With five simple words, Tails completely demolished this illusion of mutual understanding. "You're a bunch of hypocrites." The fox-cub stated bluntly, stepping back to avoid the brotherly paw now moving in on his shoulder – his eyes were narrowed as _he_ now coolly re-evaluated the _hedgehog_, the interrogated smoothly trading places with the interrogator.

Sonic blinked, feeling as though _he_ had now been shoved back – at what point exactly had he lost control here? "What? _Nah_, Tails!" he exclaimed, holding out his paws in plea for the fox-cub to hear him out. "That ain't it _at all_…"

"Tails."

Tails closed his eyes, bracing himself for whatever new horror was now at hand...

Sally's lips were pursed as she gazed sternly at the fox-cub – intuition told her that he would not have waited as she'd told him had it not been for the presence of Sonic. "First of all, I'd like to tell you that I am sorry for the things I said in The Badlands." She unexpectedly announced, "I was wrong to chide you in front of the others like that – I realise now that it must have been embarrassing for you and hope you know that that was the last thing I wanted. But…" her voice became flat and plain as paper, "…the reasons I did so remain perfectly valid. For the sake of bravado, you endangered yourself today…and put your friends at risk in doing so. How would you have felt if one of the people who care about you had been hurt or perhaps even killed…because of your disobedience?"

Tails had no idea what to say – apparently it had been a purely rhetorical question for The Princess went on without awaiting an answer.

"One of the first things a Freedom Fighter must learn is that his actions affect the whole team – and judging by your behaviour today, this _you_ have _yet_ to learn. I have no choice to conclude that…I promoted you far too soon." The Princess swallowed, knowing just how her words must be affecting him – but though she hated herself, she told herself that she _must_ do it. For Tails' own sake…she must discipline him. "I will…" she took a deep breath – in order to avoid being suffocated by the sheer hypocrisy of what she was about to say, she would need it. "…need to think hard about whether you deserve to remain a Freedom Fighter. _Long_ and hard. In the meantime…you are forbidden to go any farther than the border of Knothole."

For a moment, Sally hesitated…before holding out her paw.

"Give me your pack."

As that command hung in the air between them, Tails stood quite still…or at least appeared to. Behind those relatively thin layers of fur and flesh, his guts clenched as though a passing ghost had reached in and grabbed them.

His backpack…_his backpack_!

On his last birthday, Tails had been given the backpack by a mysteriously grinning Sonic…though he suspected to this day that Rosie had had a paw in the making of it. The awe-eyed cub had run his paws back and forth over the smooth leather…and wondered _why_.

And after the party, Sally had called him to her hut…where she had declared that he was now of the right age to begin the training which would prepare him for membership of The Freedom Fighters. Tails had been so excited that it hadn't occurred to him to wonder why despite the warmth of her smile…The Princess' eyelashes had glistened with tears of regret.

That had been the greatest day of his life. But now…

Had Tails respectfully obeyed Sally, he would have seen her eyes soften – he would have heard her explain kindly that she did this solely because she cared about him. That as she did think hard, so he must _work_ hard to regain her trust.

As it happened…Tails did not obey respectfully _at all_.

"Oh…_that's_ fair." Tails replied, his voice positively dripping with sarcasm – as a matter of fact, he was dying to howl the exact opposite of that remark. _What's she expecting anyway? For my ears to droop…for me to look at the ground and mutter "I'm sorry, Aunt Sally"? _"No _really_…" with a flick of the wrist, he flung the backpack in Sally's direction. "…that's _totally_ fair!"

Without waiting for an answer, Tails swung his back toward both Sonic and Sally – as he stomped away from the hut, the fox-cub struggled to avoid choking on the bitter lump that had formed in his throat.

_I'll keep out from under her feet all right…I'll keep so clear she won't even notice me!_

Sally stumbled back as the pack hit her chest – regaining her footing in time to escape a particularly undignified tumble, the squirrel felt anger pierce her heart. As she wrapped both arms around the pack, Sally opened her mouth with every intention of yelling at the retreating Tails to _come back here right now_!

What stopped her from doing just that was the very critical look Sonic now gave her, "What?" Sally asked – her voice sounded determinedly casual.

Sonic narrowed his eyes – not for even a dang second did he believe that The Princess' major league freak-out back in The Badlands had been purely the result of any cheek or recklessness Tails had flaunted that day. It had been like some interspatial portal had opened up, sucking him into a crazy backwards world where Freedom Fighters chased SWATbots and chilidogs scarfed down hedgehogs! "Way harsh on the cub-scout, weren'cha?" he asked bluntly, "_C'mon_, Sal! Give the kid a _break_! Ya were young _yaself_ once!"

Sally had been ready to answer that she'd a responsibility to the whole team, that she could not and would not be seen to make an exception for _anybody_ – in the wake of the hedgehog's remarks, she instead raised an eyebrow. "I was young _once_?" she purred, her mouth curving into a smirk – The Princess knew she had him right in the palm of her paw. "_Once_, did I hear you say?"

Sonic gulped as the heat was cranked right up. _Oy…me an' my big mouth! Learnin' from my mistakes, I gotta admit I'm more cut out for runnin' than actin' as the voice o' reason!_ For some reason, the hedgehog thought of just how pleasant it would be to chomp into a non-cannibalistic chilidog right about now.

"Aw, _Sal_! I wuz just _sayin'_…"

"Tread _carefully_, Sonic _Hedgehog_!"

* * *

Alone, Tails walked through the night – walked until his feet ached, until his breath came in gasping jags, until he no longer had any idea where in the village he was. And even then, on he walked…for he knew that he would break down and cry the instant he stopped.

_All my training…all my hard work…gone. Just like that…and there's nothing I can do about it...nothing._

Ignoring the stitch that now seared his side just as he would an annoying passenger, Tails continued walking – and just as his body seemed as though it would surely split open like an extremely abused teddy-bear, the fox-cub felt it.

Cool grass caressing his ankles – slowing his pace, Tails gazed around at the area his aimless wandering had brought him to. It proved just as he'd suspected; a wide field of windswept grass, unmarked by the presence of a single dwelling. Nought stood here save for The Great Beech, an old tree which towered so high that it could be seen from the very farthest edges of Knothole…and now, of course, Tails.

The fox-cub stared. He remembered this place at once…he would never forget. _This field…when we were all real little, the others and I would come here and play together. No adults for us to bother but so much fun for us to have! So much freedom…we loved it here. _In a way, those had been his happiest days…but all had changed.

As the years passed, Sonic and the others had grown…and eventually declared war on Robotropolis. And as The Freedom Fighters had taken the battle right to the doorstep of their enemy, Tails alone had remained too young for such dangerous adventures – that day had been the fox-cub's first real taste of loneliness.

Naturally it had not been long before he'd begun yearning to share the perils of his friends…yearn to be a Freedom Fighter.

With a valiant effort to hold back the tears of bitter disappointment, Tails altered his course – The Great Beech appeared more like a many armed monster with each step that brought him closer to it. Prior to that hour, he would've felt hideously embarrassed over still being a tiny bit scared of the dark. Now…it mattered nothing.

_Nothing at all…_

Tails was drawn out of this depressing line of thought…by a creaking whine. Not the whine of a flu-infected Antoine…but the whine of two lengths of rope swaying in the midnight air.

From the lowest branch of the tree it hung; the swing which Bunnie had made for the fox-cub, inspired no doubt by the guilt she'd felt over essentially abandoning him in order to risk her life at the city. For no reason other than the fact that he'd nothing else to do right now, Tails headed for the swing.

As he lowered himself onto the wooden plank, the fox found it a tight fit – he'd grown quite a bit. Though that seemed to be just about the only thing that had changed since those days…

Tails sat in silence, his feet planted firmly on the ground – as his weight kept it still, the cub considered the irony that he had made more difference to the swing than to The Freedom Fighters.

His drooping ears noted the distant sounds of merriment and revelry – it seemed that the villages were celebrating today's victory against the evil of Robotropolis, the latest step toward restoring freedom to Mobius. And from that source of light…Tails was separated by a veil of darkness.

"Aw, Sugah! Cheeah up!"

Since he'd believed himself alone, Tails was well within his rights to gasp – having gotten that out of his system, he looked across his shoulder and there she was.

Seated with her elegant back against the side of The Great Beech, Bunnie watched the fox-cub fondly – draped across her cybernetic arm was a familiar-looking navy-blue uniform, in her organic paw a gleaming needle. "Even think o' makin' a funny 'bout me bein' part rabbit n' part sewin'-machine…" she chuckled at the surprised look he gave her, "…n' _yuh'll_ be needin' stitches, darlin'!"

The fox's ears hadn't exactly pricked up in response to the rabbit's well-intentioned suggestion – what had he to be cheerful about? The people who had lost family and friends to Roboticization…now _they_ had gained something today. Whereas _he_…now had a great deal less than he'd started off with.

"Gee, Bunnie…sure wish I could do that. But the thing is…I can't believe that I was ever excited about today."

As her paw worked carefully to reattach the scarlet trimming, Bunnie gazed tenderly at the downcast cub – sensing that Sally's little talk with him hadn't exactly led to a renewal of peace and harmony, she wracked her brain for a way to make him feel better. "You know somethin', Sugah?" the rabbit raised her arms into the air – the sweetest of smiles adorned her face as she thus simulated a pair of wings. "Sometimes yuh get me wonderin'…'bout what it's like t' fly! Sailin' thru the air…glidin' like the ol' wind! Ah really envy yuh that!"

Tails realised at once what had inspired her to say that. This field…it had happened here. This was where…he had flown for the very first time. Five years ago, he had come here the morning after a terrible storm – the small cub had been crestfallen to discover that his swing had gotten itself wound around the tree-branch to which it was attached.

Young Tails' instinctive response had been to yell for Sonic…but though his white-furred mouth had moved, that call had never been made. At the leftward corner of his mind's eye, he had seen the smirk that Sonic would have given him upon being asked to retrieve the swing…and at the rightward corner, he had seen just how impressed the hedgehog would look when told of how he'd climbed up and gotten it himself.

Tails had wanted the swing…and so _Tails_ would _recover_ the swing!

Of course…things are rarely so simple in this world. It'd looked so easy when Bunnie had climbed The Great Beech…yet when Tails had taken a whack at it, he'd been dismayed to discover just how hard it actually was. Indeed the cub had barely made it to the halfway point of the tree before he'd lost his nerve…and barely managed to hold onto the slippery bark for a few minutes before he'd lost his _grip_.

With his eyes shut so tight they'd actually hurt, Tails had waited for death…or at the very least a fractured skull. Several minutes had gone by before the young fox's realisation that either case really ought to have eventuated by then. Taking his courage into both paws, he had forced his eyes to open…and thus seen Knothole Village from above for the very first time.

For as he'd fallen, the cub's bushy tails had somehow gotten twisted together…and a miracle had taken place. His whirling appendages now generating the propulsion of a helicopter…Young Tails had found himself flying. The fox-cub's heart had swollen with equal measures of terror and exhilaration as he'd performed lap after lap around Knothole, the villagers coming out to witness this amazing spectacle.

In the end it had taken Sally to guide the fox-cub safely back to the ground, her voice clear and encouraging as it instructed him to carefully decrease the velocity of his tails – putting his complete trust into The Princess, Tails had done just as bidden. And come to land neatly in her waiting arms – even as the cheering villagers had gathered around them both, Sally had held Tails close and tight.

And the last clear memory the fox-cub had of that day…was what she'd whispered into his ear.

"_A little much…a little soon, honey."_

Despite his current confusion over how he ought to feel toward Sally, Tails found himself smiling. "Sorry, Bunnie – speaking as an expert, I doubt that your tail would give you much lift-off." He commiserated.

Bunnie giggled, delighted to see his expression lighten. "_Well_, Sugah…Ah still _love_ mah lil' ol' tail!" she smiled, reaching down and allowing the tips of her fingers to brush against that fluffy appendage. "It's _cutie_!"

Tails watched as she slid her needle through the rich fabric, directing that delicate sliver of metal in a pattern of motion – the fox found it strangely calming to behold. As the heavens' light shone in her friendly eyes, he found himself unloosening at last – sitting alone with her like this, Tails recalled just how very close he'd felt to Bunnie that morning.

And as he did, the fox looked at the rabbit in a whole new light; she had acknowledged that he was growing up. Surely she would now understand where he was coming from…understand _him_?

Bunnie gazed intently at him, the expression she wore one of open curiosity. "Say there, sweetie…what did yuh make o' that Naugus wantin' yuh?" she asked, barely realising how hushed her voice sounded – she recalled the feeling of grim protectiveness which had followed the complete incredulity which had itself followed the sorcerer's bizarre demand.

Tails' forehead creased – that particular element of the day's events was all that he had ommitted from the tale he'd shared with Snively. Tails would have responded that he'd not thought a great deal about it…but the actual truth was that he'd not thought about it at all.

Far too many things had happened far too quickly…the fox hadn't had time to think about it. Now that his demotion left him with all the time in the world, he came to the realisation…that it made not the blindest bit of difference. The harder he tried to understand the sorcerer's motives, the more it felt like he was trying to move a mountain by pressing his forehead against it; in other words, he was getting nowhere fast.

Worse still…his improving mood was soured once more by the memory of how Sally had poured cold water over his attempt to be brave for the sake of his Aunts.

Misinterpreting the cub's expression, Bunnie hastened to reassure him. "Now don't be frettin', darlin'! We won't let that crabby ol' wizard get his claw on yuh!" the rabbit's eyes twinkled teasingly at him, "Well…'less Sally Girl decides t' leave yuh t' him in her lil' will!"

Tails scowled – it was a scowl so black that he might have just buried his muzzle in generous slice of freshly baked mud-pie. And as he thought more of Sally…it grew only blacker. "Gee thanks, Bunnie…but unless one of us dropped their address-book back at the city, I kind of doubt that I have much to worry about." He retorted bitterly, "I mean…since it's pretty unlikely I'll be going anywhere near it from now on, Naugus' claw would need to find Knothole before it can get me."

Bunnie smiled ruefully as she read between the lines – the rabbit believed that she'd just pinpointed the source of her young friend's moroseness. "Aw…lil' too soon for me t' be mentionin' Sally Girl, Sugah?" her lips quivered – it seemed like a violation of some kind for Sally and Tails to be anything other than firm friends. "Tails, sweetie…" she began again, her voice one of understanding and sympathy.

Tails did not seem to have any use for either, "Why are you bothering to mend that thing anyway?" he asked irritably, gesturing to the uniform draped over the rabbit's arm. "You know that Antoine has about nine more hanging in his closet…in fact, he always says goodnight to them before going to bed!"

Bunnie frowned reproachfully, "Yeah…n' Ah know that this one right heah is verah important t' him." She answered coolly, "So it's important t' me t' mend it for him. Besides…lil' things like this, yuh just do for the people special t' yuh. N' speakin' o' people special t' us…ain't there somethin' _yuh_ ought t' be thinkin' o' mendin', Tails?"

Tails' scowl had grown so black that it would have made the end result of Rotor's recent attempt at preparing a slice of toast appear pearly-white. "Oh…I get it. You're talking about my relationship with Sally, right?" the bitterness was so deep and intense that there was no need for a clever metaphor to describe it.

Bunnie breathed a sigh, "Aw, darling! Yuh know how much Sally Girl…"

Tails cut her off, his voice now so cutting that it was practically serrated. "I know she has an original way of showing it!" he snapped. "Direct as a pick-axe to the head!"

"Ah'm not sayin' she should h' done what she did, Sugah." Bunnie said in a voice of soothing reason, "But try n' look at the whole thing from…"

"…and I'll understand that she was right to chew me up and spit me back out in front of the others?" Tails was gritting his teeth so hard that it was a miracle he could respond at all, "You know…somehow I doubt that!"

Bunnie's eyes widened, "Woo there!" she exclaimed, a breathless grin splitting her face. "May Ah finish a sentence? Tails…Sally Girl's jus' mad at yuh right now. What yuh need t' do is wait 'til she cools off…n' then talk t' her."

Tails gave a shrug that summed his mood up perfectly; short and angry. "What? Apologise? After that?" he muttered, "No way. If that's what it takes for me to get back into Sally's good book…then she can just let it collect dust on the shelf."

Bunnie compressed her lips at this, "Well t' be honest, Sugah…Ah must say that seems a little dumb." She remarked bluntly – the fox stared at her. "Yuh've worked so doggon' hard t' join the Freedom Fighters…n' now yuh prepared t' throw it all away 'cos yuh mad at Sally Girl?"

Tails averted his sullen eyes, "Like she's going to let me be a Freedom Fighter whatever I do now." He muttered, allowing his chin to sink into his paw. "She'll have to think hard about it? Right! Why didn't she just say she was kicking me out on my rear? I mean, what…was she afraid I'd cry? Ha!"

Bunnie bit her lip – the rabbit wouldn't have said it aloud for all of Mobius but she was certain the cub had done just that in the aftermath of Sally's frenzied dressing-down of him. "Look at it from her perspective, sweetie." She gently persisted, "Sassin' the leader n' tellin' jokes...can yuh really blame Sally Girl for thinkin' that yuh weren't takin' the mission seriously?"

Tails looked at the rabbit again – his eyes narrowed in response to what he perceived as a flaw in her logic. "Sonic 'sasses the leader' and 'tells jokes' all the time during missions." The fox-cub pointed out, his voice low. "_All the time_."

Bunnie smiled, "Well…that's _Sonic_, ain't it?" she exclaimed as though it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Yuh see now, Sugah?"

And just as he'd done outside Snively's hut, Tails nodded his head. "Yeah…one rule for you guys and another for me, huh?" as they stared across the darkened field, his eyes grew brooding. "I wanted so badly to be a Freedom Fighter…you know? I spent hours listening to Sonic's stories of what you guys got up to in the city…I guess I thought that being a part of it all would mean I'd grown up or something. But now…" he breathed a miserable sigh and shook his head, "…maybe it's time I _woke_ up."

The field lay in silence for a whole minute…before a giggle was suddenly heard.

Tails whipped his head up – the cub stared incredulously at Bunnie whose shoulders were aquiver with laughter. When the waves of amusement had subsided sufficiently, she unclamped a paw from her mouth and smiled at the fox-cub. "Sweet heavens t' Betsy! If yuh'd gone on much longer, yuh'd have had t' write a poem, darlin'!" she chortled good-naturedly, "Ah do declare…yuh shouldn't even be _thinkin'_ like that, Tails!"

Tails seemed unable to look away from her, "Why not?" there was a peculiar catch in his voice – it sounded as though he knew already what the answer would be and dreaded it.

Suddenly Bunnie felt an instinctive urge to choose her words carefully – little could she have realised that those she selected were the ones most likely to be badly received. "Well, it's just that yuh a…" her green eyes noticing how his body stiffened as though in miserable anticipation, she hesitated before uttering those final words."…_young 'un_."

Tails stared at her as leaden silence descended over the field – his body was so still he seemed not even to breathe, his eyes filling with something far worse than tears.

Betrayal.

"Aw, Tails!" Bunnie whispered – laying down both uniform and needle, she rose to her feet. "Ah'm sorry! Ah didn't say it t' hurt yuh…"

But she _had _said it – and it _had_ hurt.

Tails glared at her, burning with rage so vast that his small body could barely contain it. "And you're just a _girl_ who's in love with a _coward_!" he spat, his face twisted with savagery.

Bunnie had been walking toward the fox, her paw reaching out to touch his shoulder – as that insult hit her like a glob of scathing spit to the face, she stopped dead. "Tails!" her tone was now sharp with reproach, her eyes narrowing into flashing slits.

An entire legion of rebutting remarks waited to spring to Antoine's defence…the chief of which was the fact that the coyote's mettle had been proven beyond doubt the night he'd single-handedly saved the life of King Acorn. Then the moment of electrified intensity passed…and her face relaxed again.

Bunnie wasn't going to discuss her love-life with Tails, wasn't going to argue with him over whom she had chosen to give her heart – just as she had told herself that morning, she was the adult here. "Darlin'…don't be like this!" she exclaimed, pushing away the indignation that had filled her heart. "Yuh know I'm on yuh side!"

"Forget it!" Tails spat – though the rabbit's anger toward him had faded as quickly as it had arisen, his anger toward the rabbit still burned hot. All he could think about was just how much faith he'd had that Bunnie would understand…and just how badly she'd just let him down. "Just forget it, Bunnie! If I'm too young to know what I'm doing or saying, why do you even care?" the cub performed a savage impression of the rabbit's accented voice, "_Aw, bad lil' Tails_! _No thinkin' for yuh 'til yuh seventeen n' our rent on yuh is up_!"

Bunnie sighed and slowly shook her head, "Well…as mah momma used t' say; less said, soonest mended'. Leastways 'til yuh in a more reasonable mood, darlin'." She remarked, smiling ruefully.

Turning back and stooping over the tree-root on which she'd been sitting, Bunnie gathered up the uniform – after tucking the needle behind her belt for safety, she turned back to the fox. "Sally Girl asked the team t' drop by for a meetin'." The rabbit approached him again as she spoke, "Yuh want me t' walk yuh?"

Tails had been staring down at his sneaker, fuming over what she'd just said…and feeling sick over what he'd said back. As she now waited expectantly for him, the fox-cub looked up at the rabbit in confusion – hadn't she listened to a word he'd just said? _I bet she thinks that as soon as I see Sally, I'll start crying into her shoulder or saying I'm sorry for being such a burden… or hey, maybe even both! _"Tempting as that offer sounds, Bunnie…" he answered, his voice dull as porridge. "…I somehow doubt I'd be very welcome there."

A smile spread across Bunnie's face, "Um…Ah think that yuh'v got a wire or two crossed, Sugah." She said gently, "Ah didn't mean the meetin'…Ah was talkin' 'bout a lil' thing called bedtime!"

Tails stared at her – was this a joke? "What _about_ bedtime?" he grunted, "You want me to come tuck you in and turn off the light?"

Bunnie smirked, "_Funny_, Sugah." She replied airily, "_Verah _funny. Come 'long now – time t' go back t' yuh hut!"

Tails lowered his eyes – suddenly he wished that the rabbit would just go away and leave him alone. "Just get yourself to the meeting, Bunnie." He said resignedly, "I'll hit the sack in a while."

The fox didn't want to hit the sack - he wanted just to sit where he was and feel depressed. But it seemed even that option was denied to him...

Bunnie nodded patiently, "Um…" Assessing the situation, she concluded that Tails was being stubborn…and that a firm paw was what he now needed. "…sort o' _nowish_, Sugah?"

Tails felt the firm paw take hold of him, lifting him off the swing – before he knew it, the cub was staggering across the ground. Bunnie had meant to set him gently on his feet – but since this relocation had taken him by surprise, the rabbit's paw was all that prevented the fox from falling flat on his face.

Tail stood wide-eyed and panting…unable to believe what Bunnie had just done. Pictures of that day flashed into his mind; Bunnie picking him up as though he'd been about to run in front of something large and mobile, Bunnie putting him into the back of a cart as though he was a bad little fox in need of time-out. And as she now attempted to march him off to bed like a spoilt cub whose whining plea to stay up late had been refused…_it_ came.

For Sally, the moment of explosion had come in The Badlands…for Tails, it arrived here and now. _Why can't she stop touching me?! _"Get your paws off me!" he jerked his shoulder, frantically attempting to dislodge her grip – and it was from there that he descended into pure thrashing fury. "I mean it, get off me!"

Bunnie's mouth hung open in astonishment as he struggled and squirmed, "Tails, yuh actin' peskiah than a mud-bug on a griddle!" she exclaimed, fighting to keep hold of him – she could have used her cybernetic paw to effortlessly restrain the cub yet did not, sensing that it would do more harm than good. "Tails, stoppit! _Calm down_!"

"_Get off_!!" Tails thrashed. Thrashed against Sally's eternal view of him as a child to be kept from harm. Thrashed against Bunnie's determination to keep him on the 'right path'. Thrashed against his utter powerlessness to defy either. "_Get off_!!"

For three minutes, the two fiercely wrestled each other; Bunnie to keep her one-pawed grip, Tails to free himself from the very same. And ultimately…the latter prevailed.

Bunnie's fingers slipping from him, Tails found himself loose again – whatever he might have done, there was no chance for it to be done as he slammed face-first into the ground. As he lay in a panting and shaking heap, his twin tails covering his back, the world seemed to spin around him – his eyes were shut as sweat ran around them like drops of lava, every bone his body contained crying out in humiliated anger.

Bunnie gazed down at him in dismayed worry, her shoulders rising and falling – she was shaken not by the tussle which had been nothing to her but by the sheer savagery of the moment encompassed by it. "Tails…Tails?" she breathed, wanting nothing more than to go kneel by the fallen fox and take him into her arms – what held her back from doing so was the aura of intensity that emanated from his small body. "Darlin'…are yuh okay?"

Tails did not, would not, could not answer – the cub knew that if he tried to say anything or look up, he would burst into tears.

Bunnie could do no more than bite her lip wretchedly – the rabbit knew she must attend The Freedom Fighter meeting. Yet she did not want to leave Tails alone…not like this. _But what else can Ah do…if he won't let me in? _"Well…Ah guess yuh win, Sugah." She conceded, her velvet voice now deeply weary. "Don't be stayin' up too late, yuh heah?" she paused, her eyes glistening. "Hug?"

Tails neither stirred an inch nor made a sound – as he lay there in the grass, it was as though no few feet but a vast invisible abyss separated him from her.

As Tails lay entombed within the darkness of closed eyelids, Bunnie's sweet voice reached him one last time – her tone sounded softer than he'd ever heard. "Oh _mah_…no hug for Aunt Bunnie?" he could tell that her ears drooped as she gave him a long, long look. "Well…ain't that sad?" her fingers brushed across the back of his head like the wings of a flitting butterfly, "Guh night, Sugah Tails."

Bunnie went, blades of grass crunching with each step she took – Tails got the feeling that she walked with very deliberate slowness, perhaps hoping that he might give in. And suddenly…he realised just how much he wanted to. The fox-cub wanted to leap up from the grass, to run after the rabbit, to throw his arms around her…to admit that he was sorry. Instead he remained right where he lay…practically pinned beneath the weight of that same 'dumb' anger which now extended to his _other_ Aunt.

The heavy footsteps gradually faded into the distance – Bunnie was gone and Tails was alone again.

Yet as the fox verged on dissolving…a smouldering fire was kindled, driving back the tears. And fuelled by the very same, he pushed himself from the ground – what with the violent shaking of his body, it was only on the fourth try that he succeeded. As they gazed after the now distant rabbit, Tails' eyes narrowed into fine slits – to the cub had occurred a perfect way to alleviate at least a little of his frustration over being pushed out and at the same time get back on she who had _done_ the pushing.

_Yeah…Sally won't notice me, all right! But that doesn't mean that I won't actually be there! _

Now moving with all the silent stealth that training had taught him, Tails shadowed Bunnie to the meeting-place...and in the days that followed, cursed himself for having done so.

**End of Chapter**

_Author Notes - Okay, I'm taking a break - should last a week or two. By the by, if anyone wants to be kept informed of just how the next chapter is progressing...then check out the forums over at the website "Saturday Morning Sonic". I'm known by the same handle over there...and keep progress reports regarding the story in the Fanworks Section! Anyhow, hope that'cha enjoyed this..._

_Keep On Freedom Fightin'!!_


	12. On That Tragic Day Ten Years Ago

_Author Notes - Ever heard the phrase, "I feel like chicken tonight"? _

_Well, have I got news for ya'll...about a week or so ago, I felt like crap all day long! Seriously! I woke up and my head wuz all funky...plus my leg-bones were all achin'! But I'm way over it now so...hey! Hmm...what else is goin' on with me? Well, I started re-playin' the "Kingdom Hearts" series...and am once again forced to wonder just why the heck there are so many people out there who swear up and down (along with every other conceivable direction and angle) that Organization XIII were a bunch of innocent victims, 'hunted down' and 'casually murdered' by Sora and co! I mean, excuse me? Am I the only one who remembers how The Nobodies tricked Sora into losing his memories, kidnapped his girlfriend...and oh yeah, unleashed legions of Heartless upon the Worlds all for the sake of their selfish agenda? Yet still there are those who claim that The Organization wuz just misunderstood, that the members were merely trying to regain their lost hearts...even though they only lost their hearts cuz they chose to descend into evil! Put simply, they were twisted sadists before they became Nobodies...and the circumstance that they happen to look good doesn't alter the fact that they are basically super-powered sociopaths! _

_Whew...and as a reward for sitting thru that, here's the latest chapter! By the by, I'd just like to thank FreedomFighter4 - she provided answers to a whole lotta' questions regarding a pivotal issue I'm waaaay unfamiliar with! A thousand thanks, Fellow Freedom Writer! Anyway...enjoy!!_

**Chapter Ten**

**Confrontation; On That Tragic Day Ten Years Ago**

_Mondo bizarro...I'd never have figured I wouldn't be glad ta' find myself here!_

A bet he'd have made any day - a bet he'd have lost that night.

The party thrown in honour of The Freedom Fighters was still going strong after three hours…and now that the warm-up stage had passed, it just seemed unnatural for the truest bluest hedgehog in all of Knothole not to be on that swinging scene. Sonic was a Party Mobian to the core. Partying was in his heated blood and partying was the pursuit he should now have been hot-bloodedly pursuing. Sonic ought to have been jamming on his electric guitar, conducting a chilidog parade down his throat, showing the lovely and limber lady villagers just how he could 'really move' on the dance-floor.

Yet here he stood in a dimly lit hut - more specifically, _Princess Sally's_ dimly lit hut.

Then again…the night need not have been considered a total waste. Impossible though the concept may have seemed on paper, Sonic would much rather be standing here than attending an all-night jamboree. Slight correction; Sonic would much rather be _lying_ here than out partying. With door locked and curtains firmly closed, the things he could have been doing with his fellow villagers were pale shadows…in comparison to the things he could now be doing with his _girlfriend_.

Yes…as trade-offs went, a thorough make-out session with the squirrel of his dreams would have more than compensated for the loss of a solid night's partying.

Sonic and Sally had stepped into the hut; so far so good. However…now they were here, it became swiftly clear that there was some kind of snag. Far from even glancing at her bed, Sally had begun to pace around in pensive silence…eyes shut tight, back straight with anxiety, paws clasped behind it.

Waiting…

And when he could bear it no longer, Sonic tapped his foot on the floor. The _hedgehog_ was normally hyper, the squirrel normally _reserved_. That had always been the way of things - yet tonight the natural order seemed to have gone out the window. "Sal?" he broke the increasingly tense silence.

Abruptly as she'd begun, Sally ceased to wear a trench down the middle of her floor. "_Sonic_?" she responded in kind, flashing the hedgehog a sidelong glance.

Her eye appeared cool as ice - and as push came to shove, Sonic wondered whether gaining the squirrel's attention had been worth the price. _Say, there's an interestin' rhyme …though now ain't really the time! _"Kinda soon for the next Freedom Fighter Meet, don'cha think?" he remarked, hoping that a little small-talk would lead them somewhere.

And it did - several steps _back_. "Right." Sally nodded in agreement, that eye narrowing a touch. "I _don't_ think."

Sonic knew that there was a snappy one-liner just waiting to roll off his tongue – if only he could think of it. The hedgehog was robbed of this opportunity which frankly came as an immense relief to his already agonised attention-span.

As the sound of distinctively clinking footfalls reached her, Sally turned to face the doorway. "Bunnie!" she smiled thankfully, relieved that this timely arrival had diffused a potential scene – for 'lest common sense told her wrong, the great grandmother of all scenes already waited just around the proverbial corner. "I'm so glad you could make it! Will the others soon be here?"

Bunnie seemed more troubled than a lady tortoise who'd misplaced her shell, "Ah'm just a step ahead o' them, Sally Girl..." She murmured, taking care to meet neither gaze – going over to the bed, she lay down before an extremely envious pair of hedgehog eyes. "…n' Ah mean that verah sincerely indeed."

The joke was half-hearted yet the best she could presently manage – the other half of her heart remained firmly beneath The Great Beech, back with Tails. As she thought of the fox-cub, Bunnie regretted deeply the way she'd treated him – the rabbit was still of the opinion that no kid his age should ever harbour such thoughts. Yet the fact remained that Tails apparently _did_. More than that, he'd actually tried to tell her about it…tell her how he felt.

'_N what did Ah do? _Bunnie closed her eyes at the very memory. _Ah laughed at him…poor thing!_

More than ever, the rabbit wished that she hadn't left Tails alone out there…that she could get up, run back to him. Even though there was no way she could do so...not without incurring a great deal of trouble. Sally had specially requested her presence at this meeting – if she decided to leave, Bunnie would have to explain why. Which would lead to a scene and Tails had endured more than enough of those for one day…or a _whole year_, by Bunnie's estimation.

Bunnie sighed as she opened her eyes – the dye was cast. _Sugah Tails… _the rabbit ruminated wistfully, gazing up at the ceiling without really seeing it.

Sonic experienced a peculiar tingle. And it wasn't the urge to scratch at the bandage which had been gently applied to his forehead by Rosie…but curiosity. As he watched the rabbit, the hedgehog was struck by just how distracted she appeared – just as he was about to inquire as to what was bothering her, his attention was diverted by the renewed sound of approaching footsteps.

In strode Antoine, bringing with him a beam of satisfaction and Rotor. "My zanks for you, Bunnee!" he exclaimed, running a yellowy finger down his rightfully restored trimming – resplendent in the newly repaired uniform, the coyote felt so high-spirited that he wouldn't have been surprised to float out of those well-shined boots and join the clouds drifting through the sky. "I am finding your work most, how you say…_suitable_?"

_Okay, seriously… _Sonic couldn't decide which astounded him more, Sally screaming her head off at Tails or Antoine cracking a halfway decent joke._ …a whole buncha' planets musta' lined up tonight! I mean, like they say…opposites attack, man!_

Sally's lips parted to welcome coyote and walrus to this hastily arranged meeting – just as the words were about to roll from her tongue, she realised that Rotor wasn't even looking at her. Following his gaze, she saw it; the small leather backpack now residing upon her dresser. Sally averted her eyes…and in doing so met Rotor's. And as she saw how clouded his expression had grown, the squirrel realised that the walrus knew whose pack that was…and guessed the significance of its presence here.

Sally set her lips, waiting for him to say something about it. Again she was ready to justify her decision regarding Tails, again she was spared the trouble.

Realising that it would be pointless for him to raise the issue, Rotor quickly decided to avoid it altogether – his puffy cheeks sagged in a way which somehow seemed worse than open criticism. Though he ventured no opinion, that was not to say he hadn't one. _Sally, you're one of the wisest people I've ever known…but when even your closest friends don't agree with you, it might just be that you're wrong. _It was good simple sense, something the walrus had amassed a great store of…majestic king or mighty warrior though he was not.

And as he turned tactfully away from her, Sally experienced a sudden urge to scream – it was as though all of the others were against her! And why? Because she wanted no more than for Tails to remain safe and happy, for him never to see or feel the things _she_ had been forced to see and feel? Why oh why couldn't her friends want that too?

Had the day's events not left her a seething mess of anxiety and dread, Sally might have realised that the other Freedom Fighters _did_ cherish this wish - the sole difference between The Princess and her friends was the realisation that what they all wanted for Tails might not necessarily be what the fox-cub _needed_.

"Yo, Sal!" Relieved by this distraction from despondency, Sally cast a glance over her shoulder – Sonic gazed back at the squirrel, his beady black eyes intent. "Is the gang all here…or what?"

Sally felt a renewed desire to gnaw her lower lip – leaving it to wear instead at her already eroded nerves, she answered the question. "What." The guest of dishonour had yet to show himself...

Sonic furrowed his brow…as best he could without incurring a jolt of pain. The Sally he knew would have had a barbed retort wrapped up and ready for express delivery…whereas the Sally he now looked at had barely even tried._ Sal…you've been actin' all whacked out ever since I left'cha at Robo Town. Everythin' ya've said, every move ya've made, every look ya've given…it just ain't been our Sal!_ As he watched her, the hedgehog felt deeply unsettled. For some reason, the atmosphere made him imagine something creeping up on them all…something truly terrible. _What happened before I saw ya again…what, Sal? An'…do I really wanna know?_

Awaiting the answer was like following a road paved with unbearable tension. That the fateful destination lay near at hand, Sonic did not guess…nor did he realise the voice which floated sinuously in was that of his guide.

"Well…I certainly hope that _I _am not interrupting anything."

Sonic glared at the doorway, his ears flattening against his skull as he saw who stood there. "Aw _no_…" the hedgehog growled.

Snively stared disdainfully into the hut, his right eye narrowing into a supercilious squint – the corners of his pale lips twisted to form a sneer as he acknowledged the hedgehog. "Oh _my_!" the little man oozed, clearly no more pleased to see Sonic than Sonic was to see him. "If it pleases you, feel free to exclaim _everything_ which happens to pop into my head from now on!"

Had he been some kind of cartoon character, Sonic just knew that steam would now have streamed from his ears. "I'll be pleased when ya get lost, Snivel Master!" he breathed, "Go on! Turn 'round an' beat feet or _I_ come over _there_ an' beat _creep_! This is Sal's crib…"

"…and Snively is here by my invitation, Sonic." Sally interjected quietly – the only thing more sickening than the human's smug smirk was the circumstance that it was she who had to tell the hedgehog what a fool he was making of himself. "There is something I must show him…and something I hope he may tell me."

Sonic gawped at the squirrel, "Say _what_?!" he squawked, feeling as though not just the rug but the whole floor had been yanked out from under him.

Snively's eyes glimmered with the very essence of spite – Sonic looked as though Sally had just slapped him! _Believe me, Hedgehog…I derive no pleasure whatsoever from entering Her Highness' crib. Heehee…'crib'! An apt euphemism, I must admit…given the infantile behaviour of one of its current occupants. And now that I'm done enjoying your humiliation, I do believe that it is time not for me to beat feet...but for you to eat crow. Or a certain something beginning with the letter 's'. _With a silent snigger, the human entered the hut…despite knowing that he was about as welcome there as Judas Iscariot at The Annual Twelve Disciples Reunion.

The holier-than-thou hedgehog wasn't the only one whose welcome resembled the detonation of a Hostility Bomb – words could not have described the amusement Snively felt as he acknowledged the unfriendly glare of Antoine. The human knew well the reason for the coyote's animosity; at that very moment, she lay elegantly on the softly blanketed bed. As for the circumstance that the bed's actual owner had only recently ceased to be the apple of Antoine's eye…suffice to say, the irony was far from lost on Snively.

_Ooh…so fiercely balled, those immaculately manicured paws are! But why so venomous a look, Sir Prance-A-Lot? Dost thou dread that this knave might sweep yonder lady from her roboticized feet? Or are you simply afraid that I might give her a satisfyingly thorough and thoroughly satisfying back-rub... _

Snively ceased his silent antagonism of Antoine - he was become just a smidgen _too_ turned on. "If I may be so bold, Princess…" smarmed the greasy-skinned little man, "…if the matter you desire to discuss pertains to The Roboticizer then should His Majesty not also be present?"

Sally shook her head so quickly that she felt a wrench of pain, "Not necessary." She responded, striving so hard to sound casual that none of her guests were fooled for a second. "What I want to ask you has no bearing at all on The Roboticizer Situation."

"Sal." Sonic began, treading carefully – the others were gazing just as intently at The Princess. "Can't believe the words are comin' outta my mouth…but ain't the Sneeze-Meister right? If this is Freedom Fighter business then maybe ya dad _should_…"

"_No_!"

A single word, ringing like a bell forged in the flames of desperate panic. And as it reached the window, the person lying in the grass outside very nearly leapt to his feet…which would undoubtedly have revealed his eavesdropping presence. Just in time, he squashed the impulse…and so remained undetected by the people in the hut, free to continue listening in on the meeting from which he was officially excluded.

For the third time that night, Sonic felt an urge to step back - this time, he refused to give an inch. His narrowed eyes were riveted upon the squirrel, "_Sal_…" his voice was grave – and when _the hedgehog_ did gravity, his fellow Freedom Fighter knew that the situation wasn't to be so easily shrugged off as a run in with SWATbots.

Mustering every ounce of self-control she possessed, Sally took the plunge. "Snively…" dipping a paw into her vest-pocket, the squirrel brought it to light; the time-ravaged identity-bracelet she'd removed from the warehouse. "…would you care to tell me whether you've seen _this_ before?"

For the first time ever, her clear eyes were captivated by that pale face…and so she missed not a second of what came next.

Snively had been smirking condescendingly at The Princess – yet at the precise instant his pale eyes fell upon the bracelet, that rubbery face seemed to fall upon the _floor_. "_Where_…" with a feral hiss, he recoiled - his sickly flesh was so white that it might have been caressed by a tongue of flame. "…did _you_ get _that_?!"

Sally nodded – as her question was dodged, so too did she avoid his. "You know…" the squirrel remarked, her voice cool as a deep-frozen cucumber. "…I rather _suspected_ that you had."

"_Sal_!!" The cry of a wolf had nothing on the howl of a hedgehog – Sonic glared at the squirrel, unable to bear pussy-footing around her for a second longer. "_Will ya clue the resta' us in on jus' what the heck is goin' on here_?!"

First one metallic clink, then a second; together they implied the connection of two cybernetic soles with the wooden floor. And as she stood, Bunnie's green eyes shone with clarity – for hours now, her mind had worked hard to solve the riddle of Sally's increasingly erratic behaviour. Even now, the answer eluded her…yet as the bracelet Sally had discovered in the warehouse fit together with the squirrel's explosive loss of temper in The Badlands, the rabbit was certain she'd come a step closer. "Sally Girl…" her voice was like that of a doctor exploring an open wound, "…this is about _Tails_, isn't it?"

Like a perfectly aimed javelin, the rabbit's observation flew true – and as her heart was pierced, Sally gave a wince which could not have been hidden behind the towering monstrosity that was Command Central.

"_Tails_? _What_ about Tails, Bun? Sal, what _about_ Tails?" Sonic yammered, leaping to join the two of them on this train of thought – light dawning in his eyes, the hedgehog put two and two together and spectacularly came up with six. "_Hey_…I geddit!" as the light of comprehension became the light of righteous anger, he swung 'round to glare at Snively. "So _that's_ why ya here! Yo, _baldy_! Ya been teachin' my bud any _bad things_?!"

Snively resisted the temptation to roll those pale eyes, remembering the bitter words Tails had uttered that very night. It was ironic that he stood accused of trying to turn the fox-cub against The Freedom Fighters…who did not even realise they themselves were well on the way to accomplishing just that. "Yes, Hedgehog..." He sneered satirically, "…and I carried out my fiendish agenda through the awesome power locked within that piece of practically disintegrating plastic Her Highness is currently holding!"

Sonic gave a vindicated squawk, "Ya hear that everyone?!" the hasty hedgehog pointed at the hateful human, "Ya hear him admit it?!"

Snively yielded to temptation.

Sally was breathing heavily – why did Sonic always have to grasp the wrong end of the stick, always have to make things so much harder than they already were? "Sonic, that's not…I mean to say, I'm not sure that…_oh_!" the squirrel covered her eyes – she just couldn't withstand the crushing pressure which had been placed upon her!

In response to the creak of floorboards, Sally's ears twitched – lowering her paws, she found that Antoine had stepped closer to where she stood. The Princess was ready to roll her eyes in response to some overblown declaration of loyalty – yet as she gazed into his, the impulse faded. Where once she would have seen sickening sentimentality…there was now the pure grace of real chivalry.

Even the coyote sensed that something was afoot, something which held serious ramifications for everyone now standing in this hut. Thus the Royal Guard was here for The Princess, no self-serving suitor but a steadfast friend. "We are here to lend your sympathetic ear, My Princess!" Antoine smiled encouragingly, "Five heads are being more than one!"

Rotor followed suit, putting aside his personal disapproval of the squirrel's recent actions. "Sally…I don't understand why you're being this way." The walrus' voice was warm and kind; his heart's essence expressed through words. "But I'd really like to. And so would everyone else. We're all friends here, Sally…and that means being there for each other in the good _and_ bad times." His whiskers were parted by a goofy grin, "Besides…it's just like Antoine said! A problem shared is a problem halved… right?"

Snively watched the squirrel shrewdly, having dragged his narrowed eyes away from that _infernal thing_ – inwardly salivating, he waited to add some exceptionally precious nugget of inside information to his ever swelling mental treasure trove.

And as for _Sonic_…well, The Princess could not bring herself even to _look_ at the hedgehog.

Just as she had in The Badlands, Sally began to sway – one by one, her mental defences broke down. There was no turning back, no escape – her only avenue was to finish what she'd begun. _Some secrets should never be kept…some lies never told. I must tell the story which was never meant to be heard…reveal the truth that was to remain in my heart forever. _It felt like poison flowed in her veins; the torment of guilt, that old wound ripped open in a forgotten warehouse.

Sally's friends wanted to hear that which she had to say – what she doubted very much was that any of them would want anything more to do with her once they'd actually heard it. She moistened her lips - the squirrel had resolved to do this yet now the hour had come, all she wanted to do was run and hide. Sally realised that she would be risking everything – and realising also that her friends deserved to know the truth at last, it was with the heaviest of hearts that she _took_ this risk.

Her voice a ballad of melancholy beauty, The Princess began to speak…

_The Great Swamp shared the atmosphere of a nightmarish graveyard._

_Hideously malformed trees jutted from the ground, slimy moss coating their trunks like chunks of putrefied flesh clinging to jagged teeth. The exposed roots were like masses of groping tentacles, splayed out in a desperate bid to suck up whatever moisture the ground might contain – the bare branches had long ago become tangled as each grasped at the light of day, ironically preventing more than meagre rays of the very same from shining this far into The Swamp. __Rather than living organisms, they stood as grim monuments to the many Mobians guided here by rash wander-lust…and thereby to untimely ends. Whether they stumbled desperately through endless marshland until dropping in starved exhaustion…or fell into one of the many bogs which lay in wait for the unwary._

_In living memory, this truly forsaken place had not known the faintest shadow of loveliness – yet a vision of loveliness seemed to have come calling this day._

_"Sonic Hedgehooog...I am going to kill yooou!!"_

_The deliverer of this shrieked sentiment was a little squirrel girl; a visitor who appeared every bit out of place as a sparkling diamond in a bowl of drab pennies as she stood tiptoe, determined to avoid muddying her billowing silk pants. __Princess Sally Acorn teetered at the cusp of her sixth year at the time this tale takes place – and though the recently exiled heiress to an overthrown kingdom was left aquiver by miserable coldness, her present feelings regarding a certain prickly playmate were positively boiling._

_For sheer want of light, the elegant circlet she wore appeared dull as ditchwater - yet her blue eyes remained unmistakably sharp. "Sonic Hedgehooog!!" she yelled in a most unladylike fashion – even a Princess was sometimes unable to stand on ceremony. "Come back here right nooow!!" __Her ears pricked up as they heard it, the sound of two feet moving faster than the most powerful machine - and as that familiar flash of motion pierced the brownish-green horizon, Sally breathed a sigh. "Oh thank goodness!" the squirrel exclaimed as she brought her small paws together in relief. "But just so that we understand each other…"_

_One second, that bolt of blinding blue was headed straight toward The Princess – the next, it was hurtling straight past her._

_Sally was left in the proverbial dust, her mouth hanging open – for all of Mobius, The Princess appeared about to break into song. "…I'm still going to kill yooou!!" she shrieked after that rapidly retreating blur – while neither melodious nor tuneful, that exclamation compensated in terms of plain eloquence. "Are you listening to me…Sonic Hedgehog?!"_

_The streak of surging speed had suddenly swerved...and as if by magic, a blue hedgehog now stood before the speechless squirrel. "Nope…" Sonic reported, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes – to his spiny back, a large red pack was strapped. "…no sign over that way either!"_

_Sally eyed him with the utmost caution, "No sign of what?" she ventured to ask – having seen that look numerous times before, the squirrel had a strong suspicion as to where this was headed._

_Sonic gave a saucy grin, "The ol' fat lady, Sal!" he exclaimed – barely suppressing a veritable explosion of snickering, the hedgehog spread apart his arms. "Sooonic Hedgehooog!!" he squealed, pushing his voice up so high that it sounded as though he'd just swallowed enough helium to lift a blimp. "Where aaare yooou?! Cooome baaack!!I'm goooing tooo kiiill yooou!!"_

_"I don't sound like that!" Sally snapped scornfully, her cheeks crimsoning._

_Sonic saw potential for a new avenue of fun, "I don't sound like that!" he exclaimed, adopting a scowl strikingly similar to hers._

_Sally's eyes narrowed dangerously, "So mature." She growled contemptuously, unable to believe that this was happening to her – being around the hedgehog sometimes made her feel like a mommy. "And for your next impersonation, why not attempt an emotionally well-adjusted…"_

_Sonic gave no quarter, "So mature." He mimicked mercilessly, "And for your ne…"_

_"I'm not going to say this twice, Sonic Hedgehog…" Sally began, shaking the finger of fair warning in his face._

_"Huh?" Sonic interjected, his expression suddenly innocent as the day was long. "Sorry but would'ja mind repeatin' that, Sal? I kinda didn't hear ya the first time…"_

_"I said that I'm not going to say this twice…" Sally stopped, realising what she was saying – her eyes flashing like azure fire, she bestowed a killing glare upon the hedgehog into whose trap she'd just unwittingly fallen. "…hey!"_

_Sonic was wracked with laughter, "Oh yeah!!" the hedgehog hunched over, pressing two gloved paws to his peach-furred stomach. "House of Hedgehog, One…House of Acorn, Zilch!! In…your…face!! In…your…face!!"_

_Sally simply sighed, "Very well…in my face." She conceded, planting her paws against two very resigned hips. "And now you have achieved this astronomically significant victory in the name of hedgehog-kind, perhaps we can consider playtime over and start back to Knothole?"_

_"Hey!" Sonic stood up straight, his expression now completely serious. "No play Jose! This is business! That sugar mine's just gotta be around here somewhere…an' I ain't leavin' 'til it's found!"_

_Sally gazed steadily at him, "The…sugar mine." She repeated, her tone distinctly flat – why did she get the feeling that she'd regret pursuing this?_

_Sonic solemnly nodded, "Here's the ol' scoop, Sal." He conspiratorially confided, "The other day, I ask Rosie where sugar comes from…and what does she say?" whether it was a rhetorical question or the hedgehog was simply too impatient to wait for a response, Sally would never know – with one paw, he indicated that which lay between them. "The ground! So I ask what she means…but she jus' says I oughta' go play! So I'm thinkin'…if Rosie said that sugar comes from underground, that means it must be locked up tight in some top-secret mine! An' since Rosie changed the subject when I asked for some of the ol' details…she must think I ain't brave an' strong enough ta' find it! An' that means it must be realio trulio dangerouso! An' that means…us!" grasping a red strap in his right paw, the hedgehog struck a heroic pose – it was one that The Princess would come to know well. "Sonic an' Sally…Mine Marauders! You an' me, we're gonna find that super-sweet stockpile…an when we do, we'll be the hedgehog an' the squirrel who brought the tubular tasta' sugar back ta' Knothole!"_

_Sally felt the urge to slap her forehead – when the opportune moment came, she was going to tell her pest of a playmate all there was to be know about a little thing called 'sugar beet'. "And that's why you're wearing that dumb pack?" she asked, shaking her head in disbelief. "You seriously plan to carry the whole imaginary contents of a whole imaginary mine back to Knothole…in that?"_

_Sonic seemed undaunted by the prospect, "Sal…" he drawled, his arms folding cockily. "…is Ant a weasel?"_

_"No." Sally replied flatly, "He's a coyote."_

_Sonic squinted, "Oh." He said in bemusement, "Well I never knew that. I guess that'cha really do learn somethin' new every day."_

_Sally gave a long-suffering sigh, "Yes…and today I learned that there is no level of immaturity you are incapable of reaching, Sonic Hedgehog." She remarked wearily, "Well…look around you! Oh dear…no sugar-mine! What an awful, terrible shame! But on the bright side, it is technically possible for us to make it back to Knothole before Rosie notices we were…"_

_"Saaal!" Sonic whined, holding his paws out in a pleading gesture. "There's still waaay more ground ta' cover! I mean, we ain't even checked…" with a grin of not-so-infectious enthusiasm, the hedgehog gestured at what lay behind him. "…over there!"_

_Sally allowed her gaze to follow that gloved thumb and wished immediately that she'd not – behind Sonic, a river ran. Though a more accurate description might have been 'a river stood' – that body of water appeared entirely still, choked by an overwhelming combination of overgrown reeds and unidentifiable scum. __Whatever the opposite bank held was hidden by a drifting veil of mist. As she took it all in, it was with disturbing ease that the river which divided the lands of life and death sprang to The Princess' mind – a dark boat gliding silently out of the mist, an ominously hooded figure at the prow, was the only thing needed to make this picture complete._

_And so it was unsurprising that the mere sight made Sally feel hideously uneasy, "Out of the question!" she exclaimed, her head shaking decisively. "We are not crossing that! I mean, just look at it! You must be mad even to entertain the…"_

_Sonic knew not the meaning of surrender…or that of the word 'no'. "Hey, that's me..." grinning from ear to ear, he swung around to face that grim-faced stream – as he did, the hedgehog spread out his arms like a championship diver. "…weasels in the woodshed, Sal!"_

_Sally gasped in exasperation, "Oh…have it your own way, Sonic Hedgehog!" she snapped, "But when half of your body is red from leech-bites and Rosie's paw is ensuring that the remaining half will match, just remember how your friend tried to save…"_

_Sonic was no longer even listening – Sonic was no longer even there. A second ago, he'd stood before that body of water – at this precise second, a body of hedgehog hurtled through the air! __Sally was too stunned even to squeak with fright – she could but watch in horrified fascination as her very best friend reached the peak of ascent, curling up into a spiny ball before descent began! __The squirrel fully expected to see the hedgehog vanish beneath the surface, re-emerging either covered in a specially refined mixture of slime and humility…or struggling to scream as some leviathan slowly tightened its coils around him. __The sole question was which scenario she would see play out._

_And the answer…was exactly neither._

_To Sally's eye, time seemed to slow as Sonic hit the water…and began to skim it just like a hedgehog-shaped blue rock! Her__ jaw fell as she watched him bounce across the river, leaving a rippling trail in his wake – and as he vanished into the mist, the voice of the hedgehog echoed back to her._

_"See ya on the other side, Sal…if ya daaare!!"_

_With that, Sonic was gone from sight…though most definitely not from mind._

_For a long while, Sally could only stare speechlessly at that curtain of gaseous grey – slowly yet certainly, fierce fury flowed into those features. "Sonic Hedgehooog!!" she shrieked, stamping a peevish foot. "When next I see you, you won't be able to run without a pair of specially reinforced crutches…oh no!!" The Princess' bid to throw deep frustration into sharp relief backfired – for as her foot came down, a spurt of mud came up._

_Sally's face was like a brand spanking new sheet of paper as she stared down at herself; perfectly blank. Only very slowly did she get to grips with the sight of her turquoise pants, now liberally sprayed with a mixture of solids and liquids. And as this truly terrible vision was laid bare, worse still appeared in her mind's eye; with sickening clarity, the squirrel could see the scene now fated to play out at the instant Rosie saw the filthy condition of her clothing. Even if she wiped with all her might, the stain would remain – she was the one now destined for trouble! __And into her head it popped, the strangest of scenarios. For some unfathomable reason it featured a certain hedgehog cowering face-down in a mud-puddle, a horde of dragons circling overhead. _

_"How could you do that to her, Sonic Hedgehog?!" roared the bestial behemoths, "How could you do that to your friend, Sally?!"_

_As their blazing breath drew a satisfyingly contrite whimper from the hypothetical hedgehog, Sally gave a deep sigh…and began to walk. Without the foggiest idea where it would take her, she followed the shoreline – if nothing else, this solitary roving was a great opportunity for silent contemplation. Yet strangely enough, Sally's thoughts concerned not a stern-faced and discipline-minded Rosie – though a great deal of trouble awaited her in Knothole, The Princess knew that to dwell upon it would change nothing. _

_An explosion seemed to go off overhead - Sally looked up in wide-eyed shock. A raven had apparently been perched upon a tree-branch, the sight of the little squirrel maiden driving it to take panicked flight. __As her heartbeat returned to its accustomed rhythm, Sally watched the aggravated avian soar from sight – somewhat enviously, The Princess wished that she might leave this awful place just as easily._

_"Ohhh! Somebody help me!"_

_When first she heard that distant wail, Sally mistook it for the wind - only the second time it drifted to her did she halt in surprise, realising that it was generated by a set of very tangible lungs. __Sally warily inspected the area into which she'd been brought by her wandering feet – in terms of clammy coldness and muddy misery, nothing seemed to set this corner of The Swamp apart from any other she'd seen that day. So remarkably unremarkable did her surroundings appear, Sally was strongly tempted to dismiss that wail as little more than a prank of the imagination – yet even as she prepared to do just that, The Princess heard it again._

_"Will nobody come? Ohhh!"_

_Sally had never stood so still in the whole of her life – so still the little squirrel stood, she almost ceased to breathe. The Princess was uncertain no longer – now she knew that not-so-distant cry had been real. No, not 'that' cry…but 'her' cry. In her heart, she knew that it had been the voice of a lady. A lady in dire straits…a lady in deep anguish. __Ashamed though she would have felt to admit it, Sally's first impulse was to turn and run – with a great exertion of will-power, she mastered herself. And as she did, the squirrel silently scolded herself for that fleeting cowardice – had Juice and Alyssa been so selfish, who would have saved The Princess and her friends from The Roboticizer? As she thought about that mysterious squirrel woman whom had seemed every bit the Princess she would like to be, Sally felt her paws clenched. _

_The Princess would not turn her back on someone in need – she would be brave like Alyssa!_

_Sally was barely surprised to find herself in motion – guided by that nearby cry, the squirrel headed for a group of skeletal trees. Her eyes were pools of shining determination, of courage beyond her years – as the squirrel squeezed through the narrow gap betwixt intertwined trees, what she beheld was forever branded into her memory. __Before Sally's eyes, a great clearing sprawled. Not one such as life out in The Great Forest had made her accustomed to – though this new area was clearly wide, by no stretch of imagination could it have been called 'open'. Here the ground was littered by fallen tree-branches – each broken bough appeared to have daringly dived only to fall fatally short of the many accumulated puddles. And at the heart of this desolate picture…_

_At first, Sally took the strange shape for a pile of brown rags…perhaps the remains of some recent camp. Yet her speculation over who could have borne to spend the night in this pit of putrid repugnance was rendered moot…as that vague form convulsed. __The squirrel girl froze a second time, her ears pricking up in response to a fresh moan of pain. That heap was no heap at all – it was a person! And despite her resolve, Sally was afraid again – young though she was, instinct warned that to continue on would lead the squirrel very far out of her depth. _

_Yet continue on she did. Somebody needed her help…and her help they were going to receive!_

_Her first glimpse of that tail came as a flash of enlightenment – the fur which must once have been bright and bushy was now faded and wilting. Sally was looking upon a fox…and yet so much more. As she got nearer to where the figure lay, the squirrel's suspicion was confirmed. A loose garment made from brown sacking-cloth, tied at the waist by a length of rope – the swell of a bosom was the last not-so-subtle clue. A coarse dress…worn by a vixen._

_Instinct chimed in again, telling the squirrel girl that there was still a chance to turn back – yet on she walked, guided by her determined and courageous heart._

_When she stood within feet of the stranger, Sally cleared her throat. "Ma'am…" she declared – despite the bravery that had brought her this far, the squirrel's voice trembled slightly. "…I've come to help you."_

_The heaving convulsions were reduced to quivering waves – as that voice of youthful innocence reached her twisting ears, the vixen had frozen. Sally barely breathed as that head tilted – revealed to the squirrel girl was a face, the softness of which had been sadly lessened by the unrelenting harshness of recent life. __Her blue eyes clouded by profound exhaustion and sheer hunger, the vixen gazed vaguely at the child who stood so near to where she lay quivering – and as awareness of another living soul beside herself in this place began to dawn, the light of hope was reflected in those pale pools._

_Between bouts of shuddering agony, the vixen forced herself to speak. "Are…" her voice sounded like a bird attempting to flex a broken wing. "…are you real?"_

_Sally smiled as best she was able, "As the day, ma'am." She answered, her voice sweetly reassuring. "Tell me, are you hungry? I have no food, I'm sorry to say. But I'm certain that my guardian would be more than happy to…"_

_The vixen had listened only long enough to ensure that this child was indeed no trick of a delirious mind, "Then please…come closer!" she pleaded, raising an arm in weak gesture. "There is little…" her eyes were suddenly closed, her teeth clenched, her entire body wracked by a fresh surge of pure pain. "…so very little time!" she concluded, panting heavily as though having just emerged from underwater – seemingly endless rivulets of sweat coursed around the sharp contours of her unfed face. "It…is…coming!"_

_Sally stared intently at that outstretched limb, her eyes drawn to the wrist…which happened to be encircled by a bracelet. It was not especially distinctive – Sally couldn't imagine why it had drawn her gaze at all. "Time?" The squirrel girl repeated as she returned her attention to where it was needed. "Time for what, ma'am? What is coming that agitates you so?"_

_With an inverted hiss, the vixen inhaled – given the especially great quantity of air she sucked in, one would have been forgiven for assuming that she wanted to say something long and complicated. What she actually said took very little breath…yet came with the impact of an avalanche._

_"The baby."_

_Sally felt as though a foot had slammed full-force into her stomach – never before had she gone so swiftly from self-controlled calm to stupefied shock. "You're going to have a…" she stammered, her mouth suddenly drier than the regions behind a certain hedgehog's ears on bath-night. "…baby?"_

_'In the blink of an eye' – so the old expression went. Yet far from blinking, her widening eyes darted downward – and as they were filled to bursting point by the sight of an extremely swollen belly, Sally experienced an overwhelming urge to kick herself. Utterly wrapped up in herself, she had completely failed to notice that here was no mere vixen – here was a vixen very heavy with child!_

_In that instant of comprehension, Sally's mind seemed to explode. And as it went flying in every direction at once, she wished suddenly that Rosie was here – more than anything, she yearned to glanced across her shoulder and discover that she'd secretly been followed by Bunnie. Such was the strength of her desperate desire to glimpse a familiar face, The Princess would even have welcomed the distant flash of a returning Sonic – yet to pray for anything of this was futility itself. Rosie was back in Knothole, no doubt humming cheerfully as she busily prepared today's dinner. Bunnie would be kneeling at the heart of a sunlit meadow, her face the picture of perfect contentment as she worked at making daisy-chains. As for Sonic…The Goddesses knew where he was by now!_

_That left…Sally._

_Sally alone could assist in this birth…and in fact, she must. Never had the squirrel girl felt so powerful an urge to vomit – yet when her lips parted, it was to make way not for chunks of regurgitated breakfast but for a declaration of bravery; "Ma'am, tell me what I must do…and I'll do it!" she stated firmly._

_And for the first time in many months, the vixen found it within herself to smile. "Bless you." She whispered, her chest rising and falling in the brief respite between words. "Now…take off my belt. My…shawl too."_

_Sally blinked – she'd somehow gotten to this point without even noticing the vixen wore a shawl. Undoubtedly the work of that bracelet…a thing of immense capacity to capture attention, its small size regardless. As she came to kneel beside its wearer, Sally took this opportunity to more closely inspect the bracelet – this close up, she saw that the band was thin as paper and consisted of what must have been the flimsiest plastic. __It was the label which drew her attention – so small that she hadn't spotted it before, that strip of paper now leapt to the eye. What especially aroused her interest was the series of characters and digits written in black ink; SJT-049._

_Sally sternly reminded herself that she hadn't time to ponder what the cramped markings might mean – what she had was a task that required her undivided attention. Off first came the shawl – the squirrel watched with frank fascination as the vixen's lustrous locks tumbled forth, flowing like a river of pale gold. Tarrying only to spread that piece of russet material out across the ground, Sally leaned over the shuddering vixen – several minutes passed before her trembling fingers succeeded in undoing the knots which held fast that makeshift belt._

_As the squirrel's paws were active, so too was her mind. Who was this lady? How had she come to be here? Where was her mate? What oh what was the significance of that bracelet? Sally resisted the temptation_ _to voice these questions – there would be all the time in the world to satisfy curiosity once her work was done._

_And then it came - as the squirrel girl fussed over where exactly to put the rope, the vixen presented her with the most daunting challenge yet. For several seconds, Sally stared - her eyes brimming with pure disbelief, she wondered if this was real. It couldn't actually be happening to her…it simply couldn't! Yet if it couldn't…then why was it?_

_Struggling with the unreality of this very real situation, Sally repositioned herself – as though in a nightmare, she found herself kneeling at the feet of the vixen. Her paws heavy as watery sponges, she began to roll back the hem of that dress – as a layer of rough material rolled back over a rounded belly, the squirrel was close to tears. She shouldn't be forced to do this…she couldn't do this! How could she possibly deliver a child…when she was a child herself?_

_Even as the lids of her eyes bowed beneath that acute pressure…the squirrel girl's anguish was soothed by a sweet voice. "I'm guessing…that you haven't ever…done this before?" The vixen's voice sounded wry as she remembered that her saviour was no angel from the heavens but a frightened child – Sally swallowed heavily and shook her head. "Well…neither have I! We have something in common, my dear…this is the first time for us both!"_

_Very slowly, Sally opened her eyes. A vivacious grin now split the face of the lady fox – so irresistibly infectious it was, Sally felt her own muzzle twitch to form a smile. Yes, she liked this vixen…though she didn't yet know her name._

_This was the last moment of calm before the storm, little though Sally could have realised it – and in the following moment, that storm broke._

_A scream rose over the treetops – even The Reaper would surely have regretted his immutable duty to claim she who gave that pitiful cry. Her clenching paws ripping up chunks of sodden earth, the vixen howled – her tail felt as though it was turning inside out, her toenails about to peel away, her crotch about to split in half. In every bone her body contained…she knew that it was time. "The baby…my baby is coming!" she hissed between grinding teeth, "Do what must be done…you are the only one who can! Remember...I believe in you!"_

_As those legs were spread shakily apart, Sally found that she was torn between fainting clean away and being copiously sick – biting down on her lower lip, she fought off both debilitating impulses. Cupping her paws together, she leant toward the exposed fork of the vixen's legs…and though she would later become leader of The Knothole Freedom Fighters, facing all kinds of perils and foes, this was the bravest thing she ever did._

_The minutes that followed seemed a blur…a blur of panting and grunting, of shuddering and jerking. When looking back on it all years later, Sally would find that her first clear memory of that ordeal…was the precise second at which she saw it. Sally stared blankly – her first impression was that the small opening she'd been watching had sealed over, covered by the fur that surrounded it. The squirrel would later wonder why it had taken longer than half a second for her to realise what she was actually looking at…_

_"It's…it's the head!" to the squirrel's own ears, her voice sounded strange – what she saw left her almost suffocated by sheer awe. "I…I can see the baby's head!"_

_The vixen laughed huskily to hear her, "You…you can? Oh how…" this outpour of emotion was abruptly cut off, giving way to a fresh howl of agony._

_Sally's mind returned to the day on which she had overheard a certain conversation – it had taken place between Rosie and a very pregnant royal servant. The Princess remembered clearly how the nanny had comforted the distraught girl, assuring her that to be with child was naught to fear – what she remembered most clearly of all was the prominence of the term 'pushing'._

_The vixen was doing nothing so trivial – she was shoving, heaving, thrusting with every ounce of strength she could muster!_

_Exactly how long it took, Sally never knew – all of a sudden, a ball of wet and funny-smelling fur was resting in her cupped palms. A ball of fur possessing two pointed ears – add to these a pair of twitching black nostrils and a mouth which was presently wide open._

_The vixen had been about to let loose another scream…a scream that was never heard. The periodic jolts of blinding pain were forgotten completely…as she heard the first cry of her child. "Oh!" whispered the mother fox – like a current of crystalline water, the essence of joy flowed into those sweat-drenched features. "Oh my!"_

_Sally gave a wince – those lungs might be brand-new but they certainly could wail! Willing her ears to lie flat, the squirrel concentrated more than she ever had – and for so small a thing, there seemed such a lot of the partially born cub for her to concentrate on!_

_That howling head having emerged, the neck came next – and for something that had taken months to form, it felt unbelievably delicate. Sally was biting down so hard that she actually tasted blood – the squirrel carefully moved her paws, terrified that this seconds old neck would break if she was smidgen too rough. Next came the shoulders – Sally watched in stunned silence, marvelling as they squeezed out of there. The paws followed, opening and closing around empty air. Sally slid her arms gently beneath the midsection as it emerged into the world – her eyes very nearly fell out as they beheld what came next._

_It seemed that the vixen was blessed with a son…a son beyond the faintest shadow of doubt!_

_Sally gawped at what she saw – it was with a start that she realised the legs had at last appeared. The Princess knelt silently, instinctively cradling the tiny fox-cub in her arms – so out of it was she, the squirrel wasn't even embarrassed to realise that what she'd taken for proof of the cub's maleness was in fact a length of fleshy chord which extended from his belly to the opening out of which he'd just been 'pushed'. __As she held the cub, Sally could feel him breathing – her head threatened to spin, the squirrel only managing to prevent this through sheer will-power. Rosie had described child-birth as the most natural thing in the world – why then did Sally feel suddenly bizarre, having played a part in it?_

_Sally did not realise it then…but she had been forced to grow up that day. That day she had witnessed the beginning of a new life. _

_No…more than that. So much more…for she had delivered it into this world. _

_No, not 'it'..._

_Sally's eyes travelled down the cub's body, noting along the way that his fur was unusually silvery – before the squirrel had the chance to wonder just whom the vixen had chosen to mate with, she realised that the child was in fact coated in a layer of white film. Then she saw it, the real proof that it was indeed a case of 'he'. And that was the precise second at which all she'd just gone through made sense – her gaze rose again. Whether it was the merest coincidence or something meant to be, her eyes met with the baby fox's – and as those blue eyes opened for the very first time, the squirrel thought that they were the brightest she'd ever seen. A__s pools of serene calm and pure innocence met, something resonated deep within Sally. Two souls had touched in this dark place, each leaving upon the other a mark that was to last forever – for Sally's face was the first the child now saw and she was the first to ever see his._

_To the squirrel's great wonder, the fox-cub ceased to cry – before her intent eyes, that moist muzzle formed something simple yet awesome to behold. The very first smile of a child. __Sally returned that smile, knowing that nothing could ever break the bond now shared between them. Her heart full of warmth not even the bitterest cold could touch, she lovingly studied him – though milk-white goo still clung to him, he seemed physically well formed. A nose; check. A mouth; check. Two ears, two eyes, two arms, two legs; quadruple check. Two tails; wait a minute…what on Mobius?_

_The Princess needed to look again in order to be sure – even after doing so, she barely trusted her eyes. But yes…they were real. Two tails, both fluffy and healthy – twin appendages, both perfectly normal save for the fact that they belonged to the same fox-cub. Sally had no idea what to think as she ran a paw through both of them in turn – in the end, her eyes glowed._

_There was nothing wrong with it at all – if anything, it made him just that little bit more special. "Ma'am…you have a boy." Sally declared, "A beautiful baby boy."_

_The vixen didn't answer at once – instead she lay there silently, her chest rising and falling shallowly. After a while, she spoke; "I…need you to do…one last thing." Her voice seemed to grow fainter with each word - it sounded as though she was going away somewhere._

_Far away…_

_Whenever she remembered this day, Sally would always realise that this ought to have been her first clue – yet at the time, the squirrel was so overcome by wonder that she just didn't understand what was happening. "What is it?" she asked, her wariness slightly revived - a__s the vixen described in detail what must be done, the squirrel __felt anew the urge to liberate the contents of her stomach._

_With an inward sigh, Sally bolstered her resolve - having come so far, The Princess could endure this final stage!_

_Following those faltering directions to the exact letter, Sally gently laid the cub down on the shawl – reaching up, she slowly divested herself of the circlet. What she next did, it truly hurt her to do – yet do it she indeed did. The circlet was an heirloom to The House of Acorn, having been passed down from mother to daughter since long before she'd been born – for her to break something made so very long ago would take a situation of utmost urgency. __The diamond glistened as it was prised from whence it had for generations resided – as she gazed at that precious stone, The Princess wondered what her father would have said._

_With a click of the tongue, she decided that he would most certainly have approved. The circlet had been a link to the past…yet it was the present that now mattered. As well as the future of a child who now depended upon her. __Tilting her head, Sally checked on him – she'd only avoided doing so until now through immense effort, tormented as she'd been by the irrational fear that he might vanish like a soap-bubble if left unattended. __There on the shawl he lay, lifting and allowing his legs to drop before performing the experiment over again - his smile was one of simple and uncomplicated delight._

_Sally had meant merely to glance, to confirm that he was okay – yet she found herself staring, captivated by that smile of innocence. It was as though light had come back to The Great Swamp – there and then, Sally knew she would do anything to guard the innocence which beamed from that tiny face._

_Anything…_

_And the vixen seemed to sense it, "Will you…" so much more than a simple question, it was an undisguised plea. "…will you be his friend? Please?"_

_Sally's eyes shone in answer, "Until the day I die…and forever after, ma'am." She smiled, overcome with love as she turned her attention back to the task at hand. "I promise."_

_The vixen breathed a sigh of relief to hear it, her body slackening as though ready to rest at last. "My son…" she whispered, her voice soft as the faintest wind – her eyes closed peacefully, her muzzle easing into a smile of happiness upon which no price could ever be put. "…is born free. Bless the earth we tread…bless the water we drink…bless the air we breathe…and bless Mobius which gives us all!"_

_Sally gave her full attention to that fleshy chord, having succeeded at last in using the rope-belt to tie it off in two places - despite the firmness of her resolve, she felt the diamond quiver between finger and thumb. The squirrel wondered fleetingly if the craftsman had ever imagined that his work might one day be put to such a use. It seemed highly unlikely…yet uncannily apt given the sharpness of the stone's edge._

_"I will, ma'am." Sally said vaguely, "Just as soon as I tie up this last loose-end…or severe it as the case may be."_

_"Bless you, my dear…" The voice was softer than soft, close as was possible to be to silence. "…bless you."_

_This was it; now or never. _

_Sally didn't so much as take a deep breath – she simply took the plunge. The diamond's edge slid so smoothly into the chord that it was as though her paw was guided – as she worked away, the squirrel's mind was a battleground. Even now, she feared the possible sight of blood gushing forth. Only by pouring steadfast determination into that sharp edge was she able to go through with this. __In no time at all, the chord fell in two severed pieces – even as she braced herself, Sally saw it. From the end of either length of limp flesh ran a tiny rivulet of blood…nothing more. And the sheer relief she felt was practically intoxicating – she'd done it, she'd really and truly done it!_

_Putting down the blood-spattered diamond, Sally slowly pivoted – there the fox-cub still lay, blissfully unaware of the nerve-shattering process she'd just undergone. __Sally watched silently as he experienced this world for the very first time – then she rose, her aching knees crying out in sweet release. Lifting him in her arms, she wrapped the edges of the shawl around the cub – with loving care did she tuck his end of the chord in there as well. _

_For a long while, Sally simply stood there with him – so close did she hold him, the squirrel felt the cub's heart beat. __Most likely it was a trick of the imagination but she thought that his beats were in time with her own; those gentle thumps which proved that they were both alive. __Running a paw over his head, Sally felt that she could have stood like this forever – she also felt something else stirring within her. _

_Sadness. _

_The squirrel had just drawn this child out of his mother and into the world – now the time had come for her to let him go. __Sally gazed down at the little life she held in her arms – she wasn't at all surprised to discover that her feet refused to move. __The vixen had carried him for several months, that Sally knew – yet for this past hour, he had been the squirrel girl's. Her eyes slowly closing, she savoured the almost clockwork rhythm of that tiny heart...all the while sternly chiding herself for behaving so ridiculously. __Certainly she had delivered this cub…with the vixen's advice and encouragement. Without either, the squirrel girl would not have had the faintest idea what she was doing. The vixen knew how to look after her cub...she was after all his mother._

_So Sally told herself over and over as she turned, ready at last to do what she must. "Ma'am…" etched into that young face was a maturity surpassing her years, "…your son."_

_The vixen responded neither with the faintest sound or the slightest movement – she merely lay there in the perpetually wet grass, her eyes firmly shut. For all of Mobius, she seemed to sleep…_

_Sally coughed, hoping to awaken her – the squirrel knew that the lady fox must be in great need of rest but felt it only right that she hold her child. "Ma'am?" she asked tentatively when the vixen remained silent, "I am sorry to disturb you but…ma'am?"_

_A faint wind was blowing – chancing upon the vixen's hair, it teased those trailing tresses out across the ground. Not even a quiver did her face give._

_Silence descended over the squalid clearing. Silence so weighted with unvoiced significance that 'heavy' came nowhere near to being the word for it. Silence which could not have beaten even the seconds that ran up to Rosie solemnly saying grace at the dinner-table. Silence which only one word could possibly do justice to…_

_Sally heard a gasp pass her lips – whether or not it was intuition, the squirrel girl suddenly knew. "No…" she whispered as the bottom seemed to fall out of the whole world – in a desperate big for survival, it leapt forward and smacked her in the face. "…no!" her voice rose in pitch, all the determination and courage of mere minutes ago dissolving into frantic fear – this couldn't be happening, it couldn't be so! "Ma'am! Ma'am, you can't! I need you to show me the way, show me what to do…I need you! Please! Your son, he's right here! Don't leave him!" perhaps a part of him sensed what had happened for the two-tailed fox-cub began to cry – the squirrel girl lowered her head and hugged him, those blue eyes brimming with tears. "Ma'am, please wake up!" she wept, her heart aching beyond endurance…all for the cub wrapped in her arms. He'd only just been born, hadn't even been given a name…and already had lost the person most important to him. "This isn't fair…this is too cruel!"_

_The vixen lay still, her body already beginning to stiffen – she had clung to life only long enough to ensure that her child safely began his. Never would she rise...never would she hold the child she had known for so short a time…never would she comfort him through the pain and sorrow that yet lay ahead._

_The vixen whose very name passed from memory on that day of ten years ago…was gone._

**End of Chapter**

_Author Notes - Can ya guess which part I needed help with? (Waits a sec or two.) Give up? The answer iiiis; The P-R-E-G-N-A-N-C-Y! Yup, FF4 wuz a life-saver. Gotta confess, I was actually pretty nervous 'bout this one...given that I'd never written a birth before! __By the by, in case you're wondering...there's a bit more to the flashback than what you've just seen! Ya see, Sally isn't yet done explaining her recent behaviour...and that's all I'll say for now! _

_Well, hope that'cha enjoyed that! I'll start work on Chapter Eleven in a week or so - in the meantime, feel free to look me up over on "Saturday Morning Sonic"!_

_'Til next time...Keep On Freedom Fightin'!_


	13. Tears Of Rage

_Author Notes - Ya know, it feels like literally forever since I started this 'un...or maybe I just feel that way 'cuz of the fact I proof-read it about four times!! It just seemed to read kinda strange the first couple o' times...or maybe I'd just been in a strange mood at the time o' writin' it!! _

_By the byyy, on the topic of unfolding tales..."Metal Gear Solid IV - Guns Of The Patriots" is due out next month!! Solid Snake fighting to the bitter end, Raiden cutting a dash as the all new and totally cool cyborg ninja, Johnny Sasaki practically being a main character this time...the denouement of Hideo Kojima's epic masterpiece is, like, so gonna rock!!_

_Anyhow...hope that'cha enjoy this!!_

**Chapter Eleven**

**The Two Bracelets; Tears Of Rage**

The Great Forest; an ancient realm wherein everything had a place to be and a purpose to serve.

From out of shadows cast by many boughs, a tiny creature rode the wind. One bright beak and four fragile wings, a cross between insect and avian; The Dragon Dove. Strapped securely to that bizarre body, a leather satchel; the temporary home of a message to be conveyed with haste. The main reason those wings flicked so fiercely; yet there was another.

Having roosted in this woodland environment before being trained to bear messages, The Dove was naturally attuned to his present surroundings…and thus able to sense something was amiss that night. Something had come to The Great Forest...a beast drawn by sinister purpose. The exact nature of the beast, The Dove did not know…it was something inexplicable and alien. The exact location of the beast, The Dove did not know…it was something silent and unseen.

A beast in the night...hunting for prey.

The Dove flew fast and furious in his anxiety to avoid that unknown predator – mercifully soon, dark woods gave way to open air. Below airborne avian, a mighty crevasse – between towering cliffs, an enchanting vision. A testament to what was possible when many individuals worked as one - Knothole Village.

The Dove had a split-second to feast his eyes upon that truly awesome spectacle – with a sudden swoop, he was whistling toward it. The Great River rushed up in eagerness to welcome, sparkling as though full of diamonds. The Dove ceased his descent, now flying mere inches above that body of water - reflected radiance shimmered in those glass goggles. Then the stars winked mischievously, plunging the world into shadow – and as he emerged from under the bridge, The Dove sighted journey's end. With a smooth swerve, the winged messenger made for that hut of wood...that window without glass…that figure coated in fur.

Having heard the familiar hum, Princess Sally stood ready to receive him. For more than thirty minutes and with nary a pause, the squirrel had spoken – she felt torn between the desire for a glass of water and the desire never to say another word. Yet there were so many _more_ things to be said...

Trying not to think about it, Sally leaned from the window and cooed coaxingly. As The Dove landed amiably on her arm, The Princess gently unbuckled his satchel. Removing the piece of paper, she smiled wistfully at The Dove – this little creature had surely never known the burden of guilt. Despatching The Dove, she stepped back.

Sally had not even glanced down…and so naturally remained unaware of the furry figure which had lain right under her nose. The furry figure which had frozen in fear of discovery...the furry figure which now reeled in shock, dazed by everything it had heard.

Sally unfolded the message which had come from so very far away – as they perused it, confusion seeped into her eyes. "Uncle Chuck knows that we have The Roboticizer." she summarised for the benefit of her companions, "He'll come and join us in a day or so. _Well_…that _is_ a relief! But listen to _this_; apparently the signal-interception apparatus he recently created detected a transmission being sent at around the time we were cornered. He believes that a Spy Eye was relaying our little adventure back to Command Central…and that I do not understand _at all_." the squirrel frowned thoughtfully, "_Robotnik_ was leading The SWATbot Party that ambushed us…shortly after which we were honoured by the presence of _Naugus_. So the question _is_…who exactly was _watching_ The Spy Eye's transmission?"

The presentation of this perplexing problem was met with silence so heavy that a spider may have been heard to sniff - The Freedom Fighters all stared at The Princess, positively confounded by her tale of ten years past.

The only person immune to that stunned stupefecation was Snively. Like two flies striving to overbalance the upturned glass which trapped them, his eyes flicked furtively from side-to-side – even as he prayed for it, the sickly-skinned human knew there was no escape. And as he accepted his fate, Snively squirmed like a worm on the end of a hook. Along with the rest of them, he had listened as Sally spoke softly of the past…knowing all the while that his own turn was coming. Refusal would not be a vaguely envisioned concept, let alone a realistically viable option. Should he even try to withhold, Snively knew that he would be _forced_ to unearth the memories…_forced_ to tear the lid from the mental coffin to which they had been confined for so long. Still writhing and howling in tormented anguish after all those years…

_I believed to have locked that crypt forever…yet it seems that fate and chance have conspired to place the key in Her Highness' pretty paw._

Sonic demolished that wall of silence, "Sal!" his eyes were those of one who had seen the sun go out like a candle, "What're ya _sayin'_?!"

"Sally Girl…aw, _Sally Girl_!" Bunnie whispered, voice soft as silk and tears twinkling in the corners of emerald eyes. "Tails' momma…" she didn't finish that sentence, couldn't bring herself to – so full of sorrow it was, the heart of the rabbit almost burst.

Rotor did what she could not, sounding as though there was something lodged in his throat. "…_dead_?" that solitary word would have outweighed the whole dictionary.

Antoine alone was silent – through eyes utterly unreadable, the coyote stared at The Princess.

"I will ask again…" Sally stated, a warning edge to her tone – unable to meet their ceaseless stares, she turned to the one who was looking anywhere _but_ her way. "…pausing only to stress that a truthful tongue will serve far better than an insolent tongue. Snively..._have you seen this before_?"

Snively knew there was no other choice – he was trapped. The morose man lowered his glowering gaze – like a beam of scathing sunlight focused through a telescope, that bracelet scorched those eyes. Unable to bear the sight of it for long, he nodded in silent confirmation.

Without even a nod in return, Sally turned away – equally abruptly, she went over to her bed. All eyes entranced by her every move, The Princess got down on paws and knees – she reached into the space beneath the bed, her expression flat with resignation. From that rather uninspired yet perfectly servicable hiding-place, came a wooden box so small as to fit right into her palm…the home of her greatest fear.

As she rose again, Sally hesitated a moment. Ten years ago, her heart had warned that to continue on would be to pass beyond the point of no return – yet there had been no other choice then and there was no other choice now. Too long had she been tormented by a question…an answer to which now stood right behind her. Should she not turn and demand it…the squirrel might actually be driven mad.

Like a bride-to-be accepting a gift prior to her arranged marriage, Sally reluctantly opened the box; within lay a ring, consisting of distinctly non-precious material. As she turned to him again, Snively couldn't have felt more strained if he were run through a taffy-pulling machine – on the squirrel's face was a grim glare, in her paws _two_ circular items. "Look." The Princess commanded, her voice one of harsh authority.

Snively sensed that to disobey would be a most injudicious. Nonetheless he could not do it – he simply could not. He and those damnable things were as two opposing magnetic fields, each repelling the other...

Sally's eyes narrowed, flashing like azure lightning, "_Look at it_!!" she shouted, causing the other Freedom Fighters to jump in shock.

Snively's eyes lowered as commanded. In one palm sat the crumpled bracelet, sickly blue plastic clashing with lustrous brown fur. And in second palm…a second bracelet. Snively stared blankly. To say that he had expected something a little more dramatic would have been to say that a tree was sort of wooden - unimpressed though he was, Snively leaned in for a closer look.

Hermetically sealed within that wooden box, this second bracelet was clearly the better preserved – despite the passage of ten years, the band remained perfectly smooth. Though stained by faint flecks of mud chipped off long ago, the label was quite clear…and as Snively read it, his blood turned to ice. The human would have recognised that handwriting anywhere…for it was none other than his own. _SJT-049… _He hissed, those clammy lips parting like two segments of a gutted fish.

"Subject Forty-Nine…"

"…_help me?"_

Snively heard the hiss of breath being sucked between clenched teeth – his own breath, his own teeth. The sight of the first bracelet had blown his mind - the sight of the second bracelet now sent it hurtling back in time.

_A cage door slamming shut, rusted padlock clicking fast…a hypodermic syringe gleaming palely in artificial light, wicked end dripping with a strange substance…and a comely vixen howling in soul-wrenching anguish, beautiful blue eyes brimming with a desperate plea._

"…are you even _listening_?!"

Snively started in shock, "What?!" he yelped, his mind reasserting itself firmly in the present.

Sally had waited for so long and been through so much - she wasn't going to be stalled now. "I would like very much to understand the meaning of these…_things_." suppressing a shudder, the squirrel nodded in indication of the two bracelets – so unnervingly intense were they, those flawless eyes seemed not to blink. "Again I ask; _can you help me_?"

The Freedom Fighters were all staring at the grey-skinned little man; Bunnie in wide-eyed worry, Antoine in squinting suspicion, Rotor in wary readiness, Sonic in dislike so strong as to go without saying, Sally...Snively simply could not withstand _her_ eyes. They seared without mercy, leaving his soul naked as a snail smoked out of its shell.

With bitter inevitability, Snively spoke. "Ten years ago…Mobotropolis was destroyed." his voice sounded leaden with resignation, the voice of a condemned man given leave to say what he would before the fateful plunge. "And from the ashes…Robotropolis was born. This you all know…"

"Oh _yeah_…we _know_, Scumley!" Sonic spat, in no mood for further drama. "Tell us somethin' we _don't_ know or bite'cha tongue! Come ta' thinka' it…tell us somethin' we don't know an' _then_ bite'cha tongue!"

Snively stared down his nose at the heckling hedgehog – taking into consideration the length of that bony bridge, this was an accomplishment to be proud of. "Pardon me, _Hedgehog_…" he drawled disdainfully, "…but would you care for a slice of _cheese _with that glass of _whine_?"

"What did'ja jus' say…" Sonic narrowed his eyes, fists clenching ominously. "…ya little _sonuva snake_?!"

Sally was suddenly standing between human and hedgehog – with two tilts of the head, she bestowed a warning glare upon them both. "If you insist on acting like a pair of children…" her tone of diplomacy belied the spark of anger dancing in those blue eyes. "…_I'll box your ears_!" Sonic made a strategic decision involving the better part of valour and Snively wisely withdrew, leaving Sally to take a calming breath – turning from the hedgehog, she faced the human. "Well?" she pressed, unmistakably stern.

Having been torn between an intimidated whine and an irritated snarl, Snively settled for a disgruntled grunt. "As I _would_ _have_ said, had I not been _so rudely_ _interrupted_…" he resumed, his manner resembling that of a charismatic though biased historian. "My unc…" that word seemed to stick in his craw – old habits died hard and old beatings left an unforgettable impression. "…my _commander_ knew that many superbly strong, entirely tireless, completely controllable slaves would be the key to creating this new age of science and technology. Many Mobians who fell into his mismatching hands...went directly to The Roboticizer." Like puddles of icy water, those pale eyes glittered unpleasantly. "_Many_…but by no means _all_."

Sonic was like a geyser ready to blow. Uncle Chuck, old Cat, countless others…The Roboticizer had taken them all away. And Snively spoke of it all so matter-of-factly...casually as the taste of coffee! _Tails, Antoine, Sal...they all came so dang close! Heck...Bunnie came closer than any of us! _Soothed by a wave of appreciation for his surrogate family, the hedgehog let go of the anger - a frown crossed that muzzle. _Wait, wait, wait...did Spikey_ _Snozz jus' say t__here were dudes an' dudettes who weren't roboticized? So what did go down…what happened ta' 'em?_

Snively continued with the narrative, his voice now sinuously confident. "To be roboticized is to be dominated. To the absolute precision of the letter, factories and facilities were soon constructed throughout Robotropolis...often ahead of schedule. The sheer efficiency of the roboticized proved most intriguing…especially to _my_ _commander._ And as he observed their performance, possibilities more intriguing still occurred to him." The little man paused as though for theatrical effect - as a matter of fact, he was simply unwilling to procede any further. "The question was this; if roboticization made _normal_ Mobians so physically strong, how strong would it make those whose bodies had _already_ undergone specific alterations? My commander resolved to know the answer."

Rotor felt his flesh crawl like a blubbery bug, "Wait…" Like vomit it rose from within...the vague memory of something extraordinarily nasty. "...wait a sec!" flustered features hardening like concrete, the walrus stepped toward the human. "Specific alterations…you mean like _genetic manipulation_?"

Little by little, it was coming back; the conversation he'd overheard ten years ago. Back in the golden era of Mobotropolis, The Science Ministry had been led by a gecko known as Gilbert Von Gruber. An elderly eccentric right on the cutting edge, that scaly scientist had made it his life's labour to crack that most confounding conundrum. The Mobian Race; where it had come from and where it was going. After years of exhaustive research, Von Gruber had announced a pivotal breakthrough; the perfection of a process by which DNA strands could be unravelled undamaged, paving the way to incredible new advances. Not only would the evolutionary history-book of The Mobian Race be rendered open to truly enlightened eyes, the evolutionary future might be written well in advance by truly enlightened _minds_. It had been the stuff of dreams...a fitting analogy since it had ultimately remained one. When word of the gecko's dangerously escalating ambition reached him, King Acorn had quashed Von Gruber's research. As His Majesty had explained to the crestfallen scientist, it was one thing to try and understand nature and another to try and control it. The love of Mobius had made them all what they were - to try and trade that precious gift for _anything_ would not only have been very dangerous but very wrong.

Rotor remembered the day his father had come rushing home to tell his mother the news; Von Gruber had been placed under arrest. Apparently the scaly scientist had been determined not to allow the laws of the land to interefere with his great work – the experiments performed upon visitors to the Palace Infirmary had not remained secret for very long, the game gruesomely given away by their horrifying effects upon those unknowing subjects. Never before had the wheels of justice turned so swiftly – in a verdict greeted by thunderous applause, Von Gruber was found guilty of unspeakably crimes against Mobian Kind and sentenced to life-imprisonment. Many would gladly have restored Ironlock Prison simply so that he could languish there for the rest of his wretched life.

The position now vacant, many had expected Sir Charles Hedgehog to be appointed head of The Science Ministry. That was before The Great War...and the coming of Julian Kintobor.

Rotor had been much too young to grasp such concepts...yet the term 'genetic manipulation' had remained lodged in his mind. And in the marrow of his bones…the knowledge that it meant something truly terrible. The other Freedom Fighters were equally horror-stricken, guessing the direction in which this tale was bound.

Snively began to describe just how deep into the jaws of evil and depravity he had been ordered to descend, his face a fleshy mask of emotionlessness. "That _most_ _exciting_ endeavour fell down to me, of course…the one aspect of it all that could have been described as natural."

Sally wondered whether he had just clutched for a straw of sympathy…or had simply made that self-depreciating remark instinctively.

"A lab was hastily prepared, the walls of which were lined…" those eyes grew dull as misted windows, "…with cages. Row upon row of cages…which were soon occupied by the percent of Mobians spared roboticization."

Bunnie shuddered, knowing that the lab had probably been assembled by WORKERbots – that each of them had been completely aware of the purpose for their labour covered her remaining flesh in goosebumps.

"Of course, by _spared_…I mean to say, dragged screaming to the lab and locked up to wait in abeyance of fates far less certain though no less terrifying." the little man sneered scornfully, remembering the conditions in which he had worked. "To that lab, I was consigned…and told not to come back out until I had succeeded in producing superior roboticization fodder. The fatal flaw in this demand; the body is no mere machine to be adjusted and upgraded on a whim, its incredibly complex functions no simple codes to be rewritten and replaced at will. With the most advanced scientific equipment at my disposal, real results would have taken years to achieve…and the most advanced scientific equipment was most assuredly _not_ at my disposal. Clearly the drilling for oil and the mining of energy-crystals was given greater priority than this noble effort to crack the evolutionary code. Equipment rendered obsolete years before _digital watches_ were the latest thing, drugs which had gone unused long enough to have witnessed several appearances of _Halley's Comet_, the rambling notes of some scientist who had developed _quite_ the god complex…"

Rotor flinched in shock – the walrus could have ventured a pretty accurate guess as to whose scaly claw had penned those notes.

"…all of this was afforded that I might perform such a miracle of science! Mobians of freakish muscle-capacity, Mobians with more than their fair share of limbs; all ready for conversion into heavy-lifting or multi-tasking WORKERbots. My duty was to make this a reality. What I made _instead_…" Snively seemed like a grim-faced uncle, speaking of children who had gone to play in the woods and wound up in the cauldron of Baba Yaga. "Streaks of fur, peeling away to reveal inflamed and bleeding flesh…distingrating brain-tissue, leaking from hollow eye-sockets…dissolving throats, drowning screams of absolute agony. Such were the fates of my…" Harmless as a melting creampuff though he normally seemed, Antoine now bared a set of surprisingly sharp teeth - Sonic stared silently, eyes like beads of black fire. "…_Subjects_." Snively concluded with a sibilant hiss, "_Yes_…my _Subjects_."

"Oh mah!" Bunnie breathed, paws rising to her cheeks – so deeply sickened was she, the rabbit was green almost to the tips of her ears. "That's the most horrible thing Ah've evah heard!"

Rotor was unable to look away, riveted as though by the sight of some horrendous accident – the walrus had never thought that there could be _anyone_ so despicable as Doctor Robotnik.

"You monster." Sally whispered – like spirits called up from their graves, the fate of The Subjects haunted The Princess. "How could you do something so…" one word alone did justice to this portrait of pure horror, belonging to it as salt to the sea. "…_evil_? To have violated so many innocent people, to have ripped friends and families asunder…was there not enough _already_ for you to repent?!"

"Sorry..._him_?" Sonic laughed scoffingly, unfamiliar with the r-word yet getting its gist. "Oh _yeah_, Sal! He's _sorry_, all right...jus' not in the way ya _mean_!"

Snively struggled to avoid sneering. _Golly lollipops, Hedgehog…why for you, that actually bordered upon clever! And for an encore, perhaps you may care to embark upon a quest for fire! _Strange though it seemed, the hedgehog had unwittingly served the little man's turn...by depriving him of the need to make an elaborate display of regret and remorse. _Don't care for the fact that I wreaked unspeakable misery and suffering upon innocent Mobians so as to cling onto my own filthy life, Your Highness? Sue me. Repent…I? When __The Ice Capades are hosted in Hell! _Did they really think that what he had done, he had done easily? Did they truly believe that he had laughed while ordering for the next terrified Subject to be strapped down, ready an insulin-injection?

Yet The Freedom Fighters could hardly be expected to look at the situation from his point of view…to feel sympathy for the devil in their midst.

"Mammal, reptile, avian…members of every species came to spend the last of their days in those cages. Many were driven to breaking-point…and far _beyond_. Upon the utter exhaustion of whatever possibilities each Subject had held, their remains were scraped out of the cage…and _disposed_ of." At this point, Snively turned from the aghast audience – from that newly assumed angle, he looked uncannily like a vulture reminiscing about some past morsel. "And then…there was _her_. Subject Forty-Nine...the _vixen_." As though on cue, there was a collective gasp – the reason for his presence was at last becoming clear to The Freedom Fighters. "While many others came and went, she outlasted them all. I remember feeling constantly…_ill at ease_ around her."

Under vastly different circumstances, Sally might have noticed the peculiar awkwardness of his manner – as things were, she was far too drawn into his _story_. "_Who was she_?" she demanded, her eyes hard and cold as frost-bound earth. "_What was her name_?"

Snively was powerless to resist that commanding tone – beneath the scrutiny of eyes which threatened to breach the fortress of his soul, he looked up as though sifting through the cluttered vaults of memory. "A name? Your Grace…you may just as well request the name of one I happened to ask the time of day!" sensing that this would not satisfy, he made a concession. "_Although_…judging by the attire ripped from her body, my educated guess would be that she may have been a member of nobility." _Just think…in another time and another place, Her Most Highness and His Most Brattiness __might well have found themselves bound in arranged marriage! As soon as the groom had reached a sufficiently appropriate age, heehee! Here and now, she is Agony Aunt to a Nuisance Nephew…'tis funny how things turn out in this world, 'tis it not? _Given the hostility he attracted like flies to a rotting carcass, Snively strove not to smirk at the whimsy of it all.

Sally wracked her brain, wild fox-hunt though it proved – there had been so many courtiers, the squirrel was unable to recall even one name. _Well, I didn't recognise her in the swamp...did I? And if she knew me…then she certainly didn't mention it. _The Princess abandoned that hopeless quest - in all of Knothole, there was one person who might provide further answers. "Thank you…_very much_ for your time, Snively." she barely believed her own words – though anger and nausea chased each others' tails inside her, she needed to know one last thing. "Just one more question; what exactly happened to the vixen?"

Snively's nose took deadly aim at the ceiling again – this particular question, he had feared more than any other. "I could not pretend for long that my experiments were yielding particularly productive results – my commander was somewhat upset when it became clear that superior WORKERbots would not be forthcoming. After he had, er, _conveyed_ his disappointment...the experiments were discontinued indefinitely. Truth be told, I welcomed that hour of failure…relished my final departure from that lab. The layered stenches of _vomit_, of _urine_, of _faecal matter_…I will _never_ forget it. Yet the timing was most ironic…for the fruit of my labour had been growing within she who was to be destroyed along with all other pieces of wasted material. The vixen who..." mustering all the resolve he could, the little man poured every ounce into his final word on the matter. "..._escaped."_

Sally turned from the human without ceremony, unable to stand the sight of him – facing the others, she drew deep cleansing breaths. "The treatments had no effect on the vixen…instead they influenced the development of the child she was carrying in her womb. They were the reason Tails was born…" the squirrel faltered - she despised the unintentional implication that the fox-cub's lovely gift was something terribly wrong, that his wonderful ability was a crime against nature. "…the way that he is." She concluded abruptly, sick to her stomach. "Tails is a…" the final word lodged in her throat like a chunk of vomit, "…_mutant_."

Bunnie raised a natural paw to trembling lips, "That lady fox, she fought so hard t' survive…" she sniffed, her emerald eyes welling with gut-wrenching grief - all for a vixen she had never known, a vixen she now never would know. "…for the sake o' _her baby_! But…her bod must o' been so weak after what it went thru. In the ol' end…she died so that her baby could live!"

Antoine was suddenly uncomfortably aware of the many occasions on which he had vowed to protect Sally...and then gone on to perform an envy-inspiring though utterly unintentional imitation of a jumping-bean in response to the sight of his own shadow. That yellowy head bowed, the coyote paid silent respect to one who had been more of a hero than he ever would be.

Rotor shook his head, those gentle eyes full of disbelief. _Tails… _From the moment he'd arrived in Knothole, the little fox had given the light of hope back to many whose spirits had surrendered to dark despair – practically the whole village had come to see him, their hearts swelling with each glimpse of an innocence that shone so bright as to represent the very essence of life. _…who'd ever dream that a kid like him could have such a nightmare past?!_

Sonic stared at it, the bracelet once worn by a nameless vixen. _That thing…Sal sure as heck didn't have it when we split from the swamp. So how come…? _The thought tapered off, the truth dawning. _She musta'…yeah! She went back! _the hedgehog felt as though two SWATbots were engaged in a ferocious tug-of-war, his blue body substituting for the length of pivotal rope – despite the screaming urge to pound flat a certain pointed nose, he had found a whole new source of anger. "Sal…" she turned around, her expression conveying acceptance of the impending. "…I don't understand." With crystal clarity, the hedgehog saw it again; Sally kneeling on the ground, a twin-tailed baby fox gurgling in front of her. "When I found ya…ya said that'cha only jus' found him." it wasn't meant to sound so accusing, it simply tasted too bad not to be spat out. "Sal...ya lied! All those years…ya were lyin' ta' us all!"

Bunnie was frowning severely, vividly remembering that day; Rosie bristling with fury, vehemently condemning a mother so wicked as to abandon her child. "Sally Girl…" she wavered as her best friend turned, those eyes wells of regret and remorse – despite being unable to comprehend how it must have been for the squirrel, the rabbit simply had to ask. "…how _could_ yuh?"

Rotor remembered what he'd seen the morning after; Sally slinking back into the village at dawn, her face marked by exhaustion and streaked with dirt. What with the tremendous fuss over the miraculous cub, nobody had even realised that she'd slipped away again. Guided by the light of insight, the walrus now understood the meaning of what he had witnessed; as the rest of the village had slept soundly, the squirrel girl had literally buried the fox-cub's past.

"_Why_, Sally?" Rotor asked, his voice uncharacteristically gruff. "After all this _time_…why tell us _now_?"

Antoine remained reticent. The coyote was reliving the past, returning to the day on which he'd overheard Sally comforting Tails...affectionately assuring the cub that he and his mother would be reunited someday. And as he realised that those kind words had been lies...

Sally steadied her lips, knowing that she must make them _understand_. "If _you_ were entrusted with a ray of precious light…wouldn't you do _anything_ to protect it?" without a shred of embroidery, there it was; her reason for keeping so very much from them all. "In my arms, I held a newborn child...a true innocent!" Her eyes were pleading, "Can you _imagine_ that?"

"We don't _need_ ta' imagine, Sally…" Sonic grunted, "…we were _there_, remember?"

"Then how can you possibly _condemn_ my actions?" Sally exclaimed, holding out her arms as though to embrace supplication. "How could I _not_ want to keep it from him? Yes, I told a lie! A beautiful lie, to protect him!"

Bunnie gazed gravely, deep disapproval etched into her attractive features. "But a lie all the same, Sally Girl. Yuh let the lil' fox think his momma was alive." she commented quietly– it was either that or _shout_. "That ain't exactly a _lil' white_ lie, now ain't it?"

"I _am_ Tails' mother!" Sally snapped, cold as an ice-berg - as the rabbit pursed her lips, the squirrel realised she had gone too far. "What I _mean_…is that the duty of caring for him was passed on to me. That duty I have done everything within my power to fulfil. And if continuing to do so means..." those blue eyes were beseeching, "Guys…you _have_ to _help_ me!"

A while ago, Sonic had burned to make-out with Sally - now he barely knew her. "Help ya wit' _what_, Sally?" he asked bluntly, "Keepin' Tails trapped in candyland forever?"

"With keeping him _safe_, Sonic!" Sally snapped harshly, having just _known_ that he would be her greatest obstacle. "I'll hear no more talk of Tails being a Freedom Fighter! From now on, he'll stay in Knothole and that's that! That's why I told you everything...you have to back me up on this!"

Snively suppressed a snort of cynicism. _Misery loves company...eh, Princess? _The human had no idea why he was still here…save for the subconscious fear that one sudden move would result in him being ripped limb from limb.

"That warehouse, the one with the bracelets…I want it destroyed!" Sally declared, folding her arms assertively. "Yes…at the first opportunity, we blow it sky-high! Sonic, you'll be with me...Sonic?"

Sonic saw the mouth move yet heard no sense emerge. _She gets all up in my grill for snaggin' chilidogs durin' missions…an' now wants us ta' risk our lives ta' wipe out some place jus' so she won't hafta worry about the bazillion-ta-one chance of Tails seein' somethin' he wouldn' even understand? _"An' what about Tails, Sally?" he asked coolly, knowing this wasn't about him or her but the fox-cub. "What _can_ he do with his life that'cha fine with?"

"He will have lessons in the mess-hall. He will go fishing in The Great River. He will play dirt-hockey out in the fields." Sally stated simply, "He will enjoy his youth and never go near Robotropolis again."

Sonic scowled darkly at the light of his life, "Whatever. Keep Tails safe? Yeah right…" anger was wrenching at his face, bitterness dripping from his voice - and the source of it all was her. "…the only reason ya doin' this is so ya can dodge guilt over lyin' ta' the kid! Jus' so ya know, _Sal_...I ain't gonna help ya do that. I mean it...ya do that, ya do it without me."

Sally was speechless – her stunned silence was filled by the creak of floorboards.

Antoine had made a move for the doorway, "Please be to forgive me, Preencess." His manner was distant, his brow furrowed heavily. "I am being required thereother – zee Reeng Pooel cannot be guarding herself, non? May a glued evening you be haveeng! Au revoir!"

Sally stared silently after him - though she raised no objection to this taking of French Leave, that was not to say it didn't hurt her. _Antoine… _The Princess thought in deep despondency.

Rotor hesitated briefly, unsure of what to do for the best – as he made his decision, the walrus turned to the squirrel. "Sally…I'm sorry." he said sadly, "But…I think you're wrong."

As the walrus followed the coyote, Sally felt a stabbing sense of loss. _Rotor…you too? _Her heart aching, she turned to those who remained.

Bunnie stared sorrowfully her best friend, perceiving the unspoken question. "Never mind Princess o' Mobius, Darlin'…" she murmured, "…right now, yuh a regulah _Queen_ _o'_ _Denial_. Sally Girl…Ah love yuh 'jest like a sistah_._ But…don't ask me t' lie t' Tails. Ah _can't_…" turning from the silent squirrel, the rabbit departed dourly. "...Ah _'_jest _can't_!"

_Bunnie…oh Bunnie! _

Sonic was burned out, thoroughly exhausted by anger. "Weasels in the woodshed, Sal…" he said wearily, "…weasels in the woodshed. 'Cept this time…it ain't mine."

It hurt to go... just as it would have hurt to stay. Deceit was a double-edged sword…and on this night, Sally had deeply wounded Sonic.

Sonic ran not like the wind - his feet stomped as though shod in concrete.

Snively had been the first to withdraw, spying with his sly eye the ideal window of opportunity - as all attention turned upon his sacrificial squirrel, the little man had slithered sneakily away. _Forgive this departure, most hospitable hosts...mine is a lamentably lonesome path! And anyway...I have indulged in enough sharing to last me a lifetime! On second thought...make that a Buddhist Life-Cycle! I shall hereby give full priority to matters of actual import...such as mathematically deducing the precise measurements of Miss Rabbot! _Snively had expected to feel free as a bony-bodied bird – instead he felt deeply disturbed and utterly unsettled.

_Those eyes…those damned eyes! _Now he had been forced to face them, Snively knew they would not return gently to the murky mire of memory. _What I did ten years ago…will I be able to forget in a thousand? _

Sally stood in solitary silence, verging on emotional melt-down. _What I did was wrong…but it was done for Tails! Everything I have, everything I am…I would gladly give to protect Tails! My friends…why couldn't they understand?_ Beneath the crushing weight of sorrow, she bowed her head.

That was when she heard it...or perhaps imagined it.

Coaxing her eyes to open again, Sally edged over to the window - grasping that wooden frame in both paws, she lunged forward. And there in the grass, that sharp stare pierced…nothing and nobody. The Princess slowly retreated, shaking her head in disorientation – the intensity of the confrontation had unbalanced her senses.

So she asserted…despite her sureness that the grass had rustled with movement.

It was difficult to resist the call of her bed, the sweet hope that everything might somehow seem not so overwhelming come morning – physically and mentally drained though she was, Sally Acorn shook it off. Before that truly terrible night was over, one more task awaited The Princess.

_Tails..._

* * *

Sally stood at the door, a ceramic plate balanced on her left palm – realising with an inner pang that a certain fox-cub had probably gotten nothing to eat today, she had personally prepared a late supper for him.

The Princess raised her right paw…only to hesitate.

After all that had happened, Sally couldn't help feeling slightly nervous as she stood outside the hut that belonged to Tails. The squirrel took a deep breath, silently asserting that things needed to be resolved between she and he...and to do so was her responsibility as his guardian. _I'll show him that I'm sorry about today…but I won't budge from the position I've taken. After all…part of being a good parent is to remain steadfast regarding good decisions. _Smiling with renewed confidence, she rapped her knuckles against the face of the wooden door.

Several minutes crawled by, during which no answer came from within. _Tails must either be fast asleep or… _Sally's smile diminished as she considered the latter possibility – taking it in a firm paw, she gave the knob a turn.

Things couldn't continue as they were – strife had broken out tonight and strife would be brought to a peaceful conclusion tonight.

The door swung aside, revealing the room beyond – as she stepped in and flicked on the light-switch, the squirrel couldn't resist looking around.

Despite having seen it many times before, Sally was struck by many aspects of the room. There was the bookshelf, home to many a tale – she fondly remembered having read 'The Boy Whose Toys Came To Life' out loud over and over to a three year-old Tails. The set of drawers – among a couple of other things, a dressing-gown was tucked away inside. Sally remembered her epic struggle to make Tails wear it. As a matter of fact, getting him into the garment had been easy…as for getting him to _stay_ in it, there had lain the difficulty. Tails had seemed to make a game of the whole thing, keeping obediently still as the belt was tied around his waist. Sally could not count the exact number of times she'd turned from him, daring to hope that she'd actually succeeded…only to hear a mischievous giggle.

There on the bedside table, Tails' rubber-band ball sat in dusty neglect – once upon a time the fox-cub been determined to make it bigger than his hut, expressing extreme elation whenever Sonic brought additional bands back from Robotropolis. Whenever the squirrel rolled her eyes, the hedgehog had grinned – they had been emergence-supplies, vitally needed for the fox-cub's tremendous task! And then Tails had reached ten years of age, old enough to begin Freedom Fighter Training…after which the ball ceased to grow. The Princess silently chided herself for thinking about that day – it had been a terrible mistake to approve the training of Tails, a mistake she vowed never to repeat.

Sally turned her attention lastly to the bed – and there beneath a blue blanket, lay the fox-cub in question. The Princess stood still for a while, watching him in perfect silence – with each second that went by, she experienced anew her love for Tails. And despite the firmness of her new resolve, Sally regretted more than ever the harshness she had shown him.

"Tails?" Sally spoke kindly to him for the first time since the return from Robotropolis, "Are you awake, honey? I want to talk." Tails remained perfectly still, reacting to the sound of her voice with not so much as a twitch of either white-tipped appendage – her eyes roved along his inert form, keenly noting the lack of rhythmic breathing associated with sleep. "_Hmm_…it's funny!" her face graced by a knowing smile, the squirrel stepped nearer to the bed – she looked at a pair of feet sticking out from beneath the blanket, noting that they remained sneaker-shod. "He certainly _seems_ to be asleep…" her voice was deeply thoughtful, her eyes dancing playfully. "…but if he _was_, his left leg would be waving in the air!" the fox-cub lay right where he was – but then he hadn't fallen for that trick in about six years. "Tails, I have the strangest suspicion that you _are_ awake…"

"Well…I am _now_!"

As that sullen response hung in the air like cold mist, Tails rolled onto his side – having conceded defeat, the wide-awake fox-cub stared up at the visiting squirrel. His white-furred muzzle twisted into an unwelcoming scowl, his blue eyes narrowing in an unfriendly glare – the squirrel could hardly believe that here was the same fox-cub she'd held in her arms ten years ago, whose face had radiated such pure joy and unconditional love.

_Oh Tails…how have we come to this, you and I?_

There was a grunt – it came not from a pig who had happened to wander in but from Tails. "So _talk_." He snapped, his voice utterly uninterested – he paused and then allowed sarcasm to ripple though it. "_If_ you've decided whether I'm awake or not."

Sally refused to be daunted by this less than stellar reception, "I brought you some supper." She declared, hoping to melt cold hostility with warm affection. "Look, _grilled fish_ and _roast potatoes_…your _absolute_ _favourite_!"

Tails did look, his expression hard as stone. "Okay…so I looked." He said flatly, "As a reward, can I go back to sleep now?" his bright-blue eyes glittered oddly at The Princess, "Why did you come? No more _meetings_ to attend?"

Sally sighed sadly, "You _know_ why you couldn't come to the meeting, Tails." Depositing the plate on the wooden table, she sat down beside him. "I'm not here to talk about _that_ – I'm here to talk about where the two of us _go_ from here."

Tails stared as though unable to bear the sight of her, "Oh, I get it…you've come to pass sentence over me!" he exclaimed as though struck by an epiphany, "And that's the condemned fox's last meal…" he nodded to the plate, "…right?"

"Tails, stop that." Sally said sternly, "I am getting tired of this surly new attitude of yours…"

Tails curled his lip, "So sorry you don't like it, _Your Highness_." He actually sneered, sounding utterly unlike himself.

Sally pursed her lips, realising just whose attitude the fox-cub seemed to be emulating. "I think I now know what is going on here." Her voice grew grim, "This sarcasm you've displayed all day...I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that it has been nurtured through contact with _Snively_."

Tails nearly laughed out loud – the human had merely opened his eyes, _The Princess_ had been the one to hammer home the point. "So what?" he snapped, "At least _Snively_ says what he _means_!"

Sally felt oddly disturbed – some layer of meaning seemed hidden beneath the surface of that remark, though what it could be she was unable to put her finger upon. "Tails, listen to me." She began earnestly, leaning closer to where he lay. "I want you to stay away from Snively…_promise_ _me_ that you will!" The fox-cub stared at the squirrel – the two might just as well have been strangers to each other. "Tails, I'm waiting!"

"You're _waiting_? So _that's_ why you brought me food!" Tails smirked, "Why send him _here_ the other night? Is reading to me so awful that it qualifies as cruel and unusual punishment?

Sally could feel it slipping away, her invisible cape of self-control – why was the fox-cub so determined to resent her simply for protecting him? "Tails, I'm not going to take part in mind-games." her tone reflected weary resignation. "If we can't come to an agreement, we'll just have to find some _other_ way."

Tails sensed the coming of utter misery, "What do you mean?" he asked quietly, nervous yet determined not to show it.

Sally stared into those defiant eyes, intent upon leaving no room for doubt about the sincerity of what she was about to say. "This. If you won't make me that promise…" she paused briefly, the imminent words tasting revolting in her mouth. "…then I will be left with no choice but to arrange for you to be supervised every day, watched from the moment you get up in the morning to the moment you lie down at night. And while we're on the subject of _bedtime_…" with every word, she despised herself just a little bit more…yet went on, knowing Tails must be taught that deeds were always followed by consequences. "…unless you keep to yours in future, I'm afraid you'll have to say goodbye to this hut. If you can't be trusted to respect the boundaries I have set, I will arrange for you to come and stay with one of us." Those eyes of crystal blue gleamed with utterly uncompromising authority. "Do you understand what I am saying, Tails?"

Whereas Sally had been sickened by her words, Tails seemed completely lost for those of his own – eventually he swallowed and nodded. "_Yeah_…" his voice was thick and unsteady, "…I _understand_."

Sally smiled, relieved beyond words. "Thank you, Tails. I'm happy that we were able to reach this understanding." Tilting her cheek, she offered it to him. "Now…kiss me and then eat your supper."

The Princess waited for the fox-cub to obey, waited for the rift between them to be healed.

The supper-plate went spinning to the floor, shattering on impact - Sally barely realised that she had leapt up, transfixed as she was by the face of the fox.

Tails glared wildly at her, cheeks streaked with tears of rage. "You've got it _all figured_…_huh_?! You just _prance in here_ with supper on a plate and a smile on your face…_after today_?! Well guess what, _Aunt Sally_! Ever since 'the moment I got up in the morning', I've taken _a whole load of crap from you_…_and I'm through being_ _pushed_ _around_!!" the fox bared his teeth viciously, his ears flattened in fury.

Sally stepped back, her eyes widening in shock – it was as though the fox-cub had transformed into a savage beast. "Now just you listen…" she began, striving to wrest back control of this rapidly deteriorating situation.

Like poisonous puss from a burst boil, the scathing stream flowed further still. "You want to keep me out of The Freedom Fighters…_fine_!! You took back my pack and everything that came with it…well now take back yourself _and everything that comes with you_!!" Tails stabbed a finger at the squirrel – as she flinched instinctively, he continued to spit out words like flecks of searing acid. "From now on…I see you around, _I walk the_ _other way_!! No more _story-time_, no more _funny-kiss_, no more '_honey'_…I don't want _anything_ _from you_ _for the rest_ _of my life_!!" without stopping for breath, the fox-cub suddenly pushed his voice down low – as a cracked and unsteady growl it came, the most stinging sentiment of all. "You're not my mother, _Princess_…and I _wouldn't want you to be_!! You and me are _finished_…so far as I'm concerned, _you don't even exist_!!"

When Tails broke off, silence descended as though the world had ended…and for Sally, that may have been precisely the case.

In the wake of those fury-filled words, Sally stood as though rooted to the floor – her entire body tingling as though electrified, the squirrel was unable to do more than gaze at the fox-cub. And as she took in the rage, the resentment, the rejection in his eyes…into hers seeped utter denial.

_This…can't be real! It…just can't be! Tails would never…I…I…_

Tails braced himself for whatever was coming. "So what now, huh?" he sneered, "Gonna turn on the tap…or just _hit_ me?"

Sally neither reproached nor struck – the squirrel swung from the fox-cub, swaying as though deeply intoxicated.

Tails wholly expected for her to whirl back and scream just as she had in The Badlands - an expectation that was wholly _confounded_.

Rather than storming over and slapping the fox-cub, Sally hugged her slumped shoulders – for a while, she simply stood with a bowed head. Without warning, she then lurched for the doorway – her eyes remained low, her left shoulder bumping against the wooden frame. The door shut not with an enraged slam but a subdued click…and that was that.

Sally was gone…and Tails was alone once more.

All alone…save for the anger. Like molten lava, it coursed through his veins…filling him with the urge to hurl down the bookcase and tear page after page from the scattered tomes, to overturn the bed and shred the blanket, to throw back his head and _scream_. Smashing up his hut would be bound to release at least some of the rage…yet would also be bound to bring Sally running right back. And if the fox-cub saw the squirrel again this night…

Tails sank down against the mattress and wrapped the blanket around his body, tight as one of those coats in which crazy people were put. As the trembling waves returned to wrack him, the fox-cub raised a paw – sinking his teeth into it, he prayed for the sharp pain to hold all else at bay. Tails wept. Wept over the humiliation he had endured that day...wept over the virtual captivity he would suffer from the next day onward…wept over the hoax he now knew _all_ his days in Knothole to have been.

_Sally…everything you ever said to me was a lie. Who…am I?_

**End Of Chapter**

_Author Notes - Heh, my mother was always reading me "The Boy Whose Toys Came To Life" when I was small!! She got real tired of it, lemme tell ya; "There are so many other stories in this book! The Biscuit Tree, The Caterpillars Party...w__hy do you always want to hear the same one every time?" Good times...good times!!_

_Anyway...hope ya enjoyed that. I kinda reckon that the first scene would fit better at the end of Chapter Ten...but that would leave the second scene all on its own. And it can't fit into Chapter Twelve...given its nature. Might be a while before I start work on that..._

_See ya again real soon!! And remember everyone..._

_Keep On Freedom Fightin'!!_


	14. Dreams Of Darkness

_Author Notes - Well, it finally happened. On the thursday just gone by, an extraordinary epoch; "Metal Gear Solid IV - Guns Of The Patriots" swept the entire Earth. And having spent three days entirely immersed in this unsurpassable epic, I literally do not know what to say other than...nothing will ever top that storyline and cast of characters, that voice acting and musical score, Metal Gear Rex versus Metal Gear Ray and Solid Snake versus Liquid Ocelot!! Bottom line is; it does a Hal Emmerich_ _all over any other game released this year, all over any movie released in the last few years!! To quote one review over at Gamefaqs; "This is living."_

_The game of games._

_Cough...moving on from MGS4, here is the latest chapter!! Gotta say, it's surprisingly short...or maybe it's simply not so long as those prior!! It's definitely an odd beast, I personally reckon...though I hope that'cha enjoy it!! Guess I'll let'cha find out!! By the byyy...hope that everyone has a swell Father's Day!!_

**Chapter Twelve**

**Dreams Of Darkness; A Beast In The Night**

Snively had sat up late into the night, brooding until weariness eventually overcame him. Like the raven of riddle, he had perched in front of his writing-desk – he now lay limp against his chair, appearing uncannily like the skin-stripped skeleton of that same superstition-steeped avian.

And as its fortifications fell beneath an onslaught of exhaustion, his mind became occupied not by memories of dark deeds…but by memories of a time in which he had been far less bitter and twisted, not quite so cynical and suspicious, nowhere near as miserable and lonely. Snively was swept away by the stream of slumber…washing up on the shore of a time in which his immortal soul had not resembled a tapestry of bleak grey gorged gluttonously upon by many moths.

_The hour of divine deliverance came, ushered in by a ringing bell – for that class to have lasted any longer, the education authorities would have needed to harness the mysterious properties of pyramid power. One particular youth could not depart swiftly enough from those halls of learning, hoping to slip away unnoticed in the cathartic hustle and bustle – for that boy, the devouring of knowledge had long ago ceased to be accompanied by a sense of satisfaction._

_The reason for this loss of academic appetite…his fellow inmates within this prison of adolescence. Though his unique physical appearance singled him out for a great deal of persecution, his unique social status afforded him a fair degree of protection; who and what he was, his blessing and curse. Yet it would have been a lie to say that he was shielded entirely from the agonies humans inflicted upon one another – he remembered with sickening vividness the day on which he had been tripped by oh so purest misfortune, the bridge of his nose shattering on impact with hard remorseless concrete._

_That evening it was without any such incident that he made it to the gateway, the whole ordeal having felt like a stroll through a prison exercise-yard - that grim gulag receding behind him, he felt profoundly proud to have made it through another day. And as he reached the curb, he was reached by a high voice..._

"_Milo, wait for me! I need to talk to you!"_

_With wry amusement, the boy turned - running toward him was a girl. Her long legs moved with athletic grace, a loose-fitting skirt rippling like water – her face was so pretty as to have been sculpted with especially loving care, framed by luscious locks which had been dyed indigo-blue. The boy wasn't sure which distracted him more; those lively brown eyes or the sparkling stones sewn to form a peace symbol upon that headband._

"_Cassandra…" he began in a tone most uncertain though not unfriendly, "…is there something with which I may help you?"_

_Cassandra responded with a radiant beam, one which always made him envision blossoming flowers – he was unaware of how deeply such a picture would come to sicken his very soul. "Why, as a matter of fact…that's precisely the reason we need to talk, Milo!" she remarked, "Some others and myself have decided to set up a protest group opposed to animal testing! It's just awful, the things we humans do to them…all living things are the children of nature and have an equal right to draw breath, don't you think?" her eyes shining like polished conkers, she offered a hand. "I was just wondering, er…Milo, would you like to come with us?"_

_The boy smiled somewhat, both slightly lost and immensely thrilled. "I...happen to be feeling rather well, as a matter of fact!" Cassandra was so passionate about that which she believed in, just one of many things he so liked about her – now if only she wasn't taller than him. "And if I may ask, how are you today?"_

_Many say that for every grey cloud there is a silver lining – he would later say that for every silver lining there is a brainless barbarian ready to rip it apart. And in this case, there were several such inconsiderate idiots for the price of one – for though he was trodden warily around, those he dared to call friends could very easily become targets. Churlish chuckling broke out on all sides, courtesy of their passing peers – fast and thick as a deluge of verbal phlegm, the putdowns predictably came._

"_Hey, Cassandra! Why don't you become the Sixth Planeteer? That way, your whole crusade could jump the shark!"_

"_Yeah, for real! If you love animals so much, why don't you go live with them?"_

"_Seriously, send us a postcard! And remember…watch out for that tree, Cassie of The Jungle!"_

_Cassandra whirled toward the jeering jokers, cheeks burning like fire and eyes flashing like thunder. "Laugh now, you sanctimonious…swines!" she snapped, "Unless we change our ways, this planet is headed for complete destruction…mark my words!"_

_Her derisive detractors graciously accepted the invitation to laugh now...which was perhaps just as well. A mere year hence...not one would be in any condition to smirk._

_With no more words to waste, Cassandra smiled again at the boy. "We're fighting for the future here, Milo." She said sweetly, once more offering the hand of friendship. "So what do you say...in or out?"_

_The boy couldn't imagine ever turning down a chance to spend time with Cassandra. Yet that was the day on which he would re-evaluate several long-established priorities...the day on which he would reconsider many things taken entirely for granted…the day on which he would find his whole world turned upside-down._

_An acceptance of that proposal went unheard, diverted instead to oblivion by the purr of a smooth motor – an expensively smooth motor, he discovered upon turning around. A limousine was parked now by the curb, shining exquisitely as an overlong obsidian slab – having already stepped out, a slick-suited chauffeur walked wordlessly to the passenger-segment. That dark door was efficiently opened, revealing an interior so capacious as to merit comparison to The Carlsbad Caverns…and also accommodate a man so gargantuan as to rival Paul Bunyan._

_For several stunned seconds, the boy could only raise and lower his jaw like a fifty-ton weight – once they had flown by, pure pleasure rushed to saturate his lungs. "U…Unc…Uncle!!" he stuttered, a smile stretching the corners of those pale lips like a rubber band. "What…?! Why…?!"_

_Across a strong shoulder, Uncle Julian regarded the son of his brother – clad in a suit of corduroy, that mountainous man cut quite the imposing figure. "Happy to see me, to see me happy?" he boomed in response to that grin of goofy gratification, "It's been such a long time since I last saw you, hasn't it? How you have grown!"_

_The boy beamed as though meeting Santa, "Why are you here?" he asked eagerly, his tongue practically hanging out like that of a thirst-stricken fox._

_Uncle Julian smirked, "The future, dear boy." He answered in a most tempting tone, sounding for all the world as though about to offer his nephew...well, all the world. "Take your rightful place by my side and I will tell you all about it."_

_The boy was both awed and unnerved – 'take your rightful place' had drawn him in and yet 'the future' sent a chill racing up his spine._

_Cassandra had been uncommonly quiet since the arrival of the limousine – reminded uncannily of her presence, the boy turned back to his friend. She met that silent stare, her own eyes expressive – reflected within those windows to a tender soul, a thread of hope wearing thinner with each passing second. The boy could not bear to sever that thread, surely his uncle would not mind if…?_

_A distinctly deliberate cough brought this train of thought to a crashing halt – when he turned back to the limousine, it was to see those ebon eyes narrowing. "Opportunity knocks once…and once alone, Milo." Uncle Julian said softly, brawny arms folding across broad chest. "Be as the lone mountain, rising above all around you…or be as the many cliffs, crumbling into oblivion with the rest of your ilk. Make your choice…before your choice is made moot."_

_Whether through personally unprecedented premonition or amazingly accurate guess, the boy realised something both there and then. In a purely mundane sense, he stood at the curb outside his school – in a sense much more significant, he stood at the most definitive crossroads of his life thus far. The boy might have decided to help Cassandra, allow Uncle Julian to ride forever from his life…might have chosen to be there for the only real friend he had, leave that life precisely as it presently was._

_Not without flaw…not without joy. No richer materialistically…no poorer spiritually._

_And yet…already he could feel it stealing over him, the thing which had tortured many men over the course of history. An insatiable desire for that which lay beyond one's reach. Should he reject Uncle Julian, the boy would allow it to slip away…a whole world of unlimited opportunity for greatness._

_Both friend and world…waited._

_Unable to withstand the pressure even a second longer, the boy turned again - and as he faced his friend for what was to be the very last time, he swayed as though having just tasted alcohol for the very first time. "Sorry Cassandra…but a man has to do what a man has to do!" he grinned roguishly, not even trying to soothe the sting of beastly betrayal. "Anyway…I don't even like animals!"_

_Cassandra was serenely silent, that flawless face a picture of pained acceptance – thus was she frozen in the mirror of memory, to be looked yearningly back upon from days yet distant._

_That door shut, cutting the boy off from a life he might have lived. But borne away as though by flying carpet, he spared not so much as a passing thought for that – it was with eagerness that he embraced the life chosen instead this day. What doubt he may have harboured was fast fading, banished by the person seated beside him – this was the only man ever to have respected him as an equal, ever to have treated him as a human being. His father had never done either, maintaining a cold distance since the day he'd been born – the boy had never been wanted, that much he had always sensed. Uncle Julian had never been that way with him, Uncle Julian had always been a well of endless encouragement for him - Uncle Julian wanted him, Uncle Julian had him._

"_So…what was it you wanted to talk about?"_

_Uncle Julian turned that friendly face, all the better to gaze gravely at his nephew, "Tell me, Milo…" he began, his manner akin to that of Daedalus confiding in Icarus or Ulysses conversing with Telemachus.__** "…**__has your father made mention to you of an upcoming enterprise currently codenamed Project Antillia Celestia?"_

_On that day…the seeds of destruction and death were sown._

* * *

Like a cast down colossus, Doctor Robotnik sprawled across the work-bench which had once been that of Snively – his considerable bulk landed on a blackened body that lay still as though in death, a scorched shell that served as the focus for his latest belittling labour. Though he knew that punishment would inevitably follow, the massive man had succumbed at last to extreme exhaustion - he wandered without destination in the wilderness of weariness, dreaming of days gone by.

Dwelling especially upon one rued most of all...

_Julian Kintobor indulged in a ghastly grin – it was the grin of sly satisfaction. It was the satisfaction of a schoolboy who is assured of passing a test with flying colours - it was the test which is passed purely by stealing answers from one's neighbour in class._

_At those podgy fingertips, Royal Decree had placed every file of data produced by The Science Ministry – under the pretext of discovering means by which to turn the tide of The Great War in favour of The Kingdom of Acorn, they had explored every corner of that scientific mine. And the monitor-screen immediately in front of him now displayed pure gold. Before that day, Julian had been but vaguely aware of the research conducted by Sir Charles Hedgehog – at this moment in time, he was most interested indeed by the work of that spiny scientist. _

_A machine which had been created in order to dramatically prolong the life-spans of Mobians…only to have ended up ripping their free wills away in the process!_

_Those greedy eyes flicked back and forth, rapidly devouring that onscreen text. They were absolutely awesome, the possibilities offered by this truly divine device. Refusal was truly inconceivable. Relishing every second of it, he pressed the fateful button. Julian ran that same meaty finger through a ginger moustache, watching as the salient files were transferred to his own personal console._

_Sir Charles and his fellow Mobians would indeed all live for a blessedly protracted period of time…as slaves to the almighty will of Doctor Robotnik!_

"_Uncle Julian…a moment of your invaluable time?"_

_Julian suppressed an impulse which would have been well understood by a man wont to kick his own dog – though his inward response was one of condign contempt, he greeted this unexpected visitor with a benign beam. "My dear boy, take just so many as you would like!" he exclaimed, that mechanised chair rotating. "All that is mine is also yours, as always I have told you!"_

_Standing in the marble archway, Snively looked remarkably like a green-handled broomstick. "A visitor to see you." On his sickly-skinned countenance was a distinctly mischievous expression, "I did say that you were most busy…but he was most insistent."_

_Julian frowned, his critical mass rising slowly from that seat comprised of metal and gears. "A visitor?" none save The Soon No Longer To Be King had authority to barge in unannounced like this, "How did he get past security? Who…?"_

_Snively turned that hazel-haired head toward the corridor, "That you may ask yourself for he is presently standing…" his voice seemed to snag upon something, "…right behind me?"_

_Julian had been striding toward the archway, intent upon getting to the bottom of this – yet as something came floating from behind him, he stopped dead._

"_Such accommodating comfort for these decrepit_ _bones!" A wheezing cackle, one which sounded practically painful. "I might believe this chair to have been made for me!"_

_Julian stood still as a stone statue, incredulity spreading across his visage – had this insolent intruder been in concealment, surreptitiously watching that whole while? With murder in his heart, the hulking human turned - the spectacle he beheld strained belief to breaking-point. Since coming to this planet, many marvelous things had Julian seen…yet by that which he saw now, the cake was truly taken._

_Having audaciously acquired the chair of his hospitable host, that striking stranger grinned from ear to ear. "Most jarring indeed! I know so much of you, it is as though we are firmer than friends…and yet this is our first direct encounter!" another laugh like claws mauling a chalkboard, "I assure you most sincerely…it shan't be our last!"_

_Wonder and wrath warred in the mindscape of Julian Kintobor – and as latter prevailed over former, thunder rolled across that vast visage. "Get out of my seat!!" he roared – his shoulders hunched in menace, stitches popping loose from that militaristic uniform. "Just who the devil do you think…?!"_

_The bizarre being seemed simply amused by that onslaught of outrage, "As I believe to have mentioned already, your activities have been of immense interest to me." He crooned condescendingly, caressing his snowy beard. "And if I dare so say…your ambitions have interested me greater still!"_

_Julian ceased to advance antagonistically. A moment ago, he might have been compared to a certain horn-headed beast intent on wreaking dire devastation in a shop stocked with fairly fragile wares – at that moment, he simply stared in simmering suspicion. "And what is it that you believe to know, my unfamiliar friend?" he hissed, scornful sarcasm masking deep dread._

_That grotesque guest smirked in self-satisfaction, assured now of undivided attention from the human. "August aspiration without the practice of due discretion leads most often to rueful ruination." His inflection was that of teacher imparting wisdom unto student – the edge of that black cape was grasped, drawn dramatically around the wearer. "I have come in order to extend…the hand of alliance! I am the supreme sorcerer…Ixis Naugus!"_

_Julian could feel his lips twisting into a sceptial sneer, "Sorcerer?" he repeated, sounding akin to an advanced mathematician who had heard somebody state that two and two made six – presented with undeniable evidence that here was a raving lunatic and not a potential threat at all, he could already feel an old throat splintering in his hand. "Pah! Pure poppycock, new-old friend!"_

_That drop of insidious inspiration sent perfidious pleasure rippling across the foul face of Naugus, "So!" he cried as though having just discovered the place into which went a piece of fiendishly perplexing puzzle. "You desire to be a bird, O Absolute Ruler of Mobius? A wish easily granted…" from behind that veil of starless night it appeared, opening and closing in a deceptively languid manner. "…with a clack of my claw!"_

_Julian continued to crow…albeit not in the mean-spirited manner to which he was accustomed._

_The human turned to demand derisively that his nephew summon security, only to hear something else entirely emerge - confusion in regard to that coarse cluck was followed closely by irritation in regard to an ear-splitting shriek. Snively had clapped a clammy hand to his bulbous forehead, was swaying back and forth as though delirious due to mirth. Julian opened his massive mouth, intent upon inquiring as to the source of such hilarity…and again, that was not what came out. Never had air seemed so abnormal whilst being sucked down his throat…though it wasn't in fact what had changed. This latest attempt at speech rewarded with no more than a repetitive and resounding warble, the human raised a set of inexplicably trembling fingers to his face…_

_And as contact was made…the hand of horror began to crush his hateful heart._

_Naugus enjoyed yet another sickening snigger, quite tickled by the pure panic contorting those avian features. "Would you not care instead to be…Absolute Rooster of Mobius?" the sorcerer suggested, savouring the applause of his pointy-nosed one-man audience. "Or better still…Most Exhalted Emu of The Planet? Or perhaps even…Supreme Seagull of This Awesome Astral-Body? Be so kind as to speak up, my prospective partner in intrigue…this old ear cannot quite hear whether you say yea or nay!"_

_The snap of finger and thumb bounced from wall to wall…and Julian suddenly no longer clutched a pair of sagging scarlet cheeks. "…beseech you, turn me back!! Forgive my lack of faith, please make me…" distilled desperation faded from that fully restored yet entirely whitened face, "…myself again?!"_

_Snively had just succeeded in containing his laughter, save for the odd giggle which escaped like steam from a leaking pipe – the expression of his uncle brought it back in an instant, bursting free all over again._

_Naugus had adopted a smile of sweet reason, "I trust that my credentials are now substantially…substantiated?" drawled the sorcerer, "Or perhaps you desire further demonstration?"_

_And as that cruel claw gave a second seemingly inconsequential twitch, Julian flinched. Of the power just revealed, he was deeply afraid…and yet by it, he was increasingly intrigued. The power itself…and also the wielder. A loose cannon of such terrifying power could lay waste to all that Julian had worked for…he would not suffer it to exist. That power he must manipulate in order to further his agenda…and that wielder he must eliminate in order to ensure his survival._

"_Utterly unnecessary, I assure you!" Julian answered in a tone of fawning flattery, his manner so radically altered as to induce an award-winning double-take from Snively. "You are clearly that which you claim to be…and there is clearly much for us to discuss."_

_Ixis Naugus beamed broadly, a sight truly terrible to witness firsthand. "That you would inevitably say so, I was certain beyond the faintest shadow of doubt." He remarked wryly, once more wrapping the cape around him. "From this most auspicious union, I forsee the coming of great things..." those eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly, peering over that black brim. "…great things indeed, my newfound friend and ally."_

_Julian Kintobor shared a sly glance with Snively, eyes of darkness burning like fires of hell – the message within them was quite clearly conveyed._

_'Now here is a fool of whom we shall make most excellent use!'_

* * *

Tails lay asleep, red-rimmed eyes shut in profound physical and emotional exhaustion – yet the domain of dreams proved no sanctuary from the realm of reality. So many awful things had happened that day, it was practically impossible for all of them to trouble the same slumber – thus the dream was as a macabre mosaic, incoherent and hideous.

_Down a corridor of darkness, Tails walked. Despite his own complete silence, he seemed surrounded by whispering voices - perhaps the shadows themselves murmured mockingly, sniggered scornfully, hissed hatefully. All at the passing fox-cub. A cruel paw seemed to seize his shoulder, forcing him forward. Though every sense screamed at him to go no further, he was utterly unable to resist that grim grip - regardless his deep desire to stop, he went on walking. It was as though he had become a wooden puppet, his strings under the complete control of a second pitiless paw._

_It came creeping over him with insidious slowness, practically pinching his white-furred cheek…an overwhelming certainty that the owner of both unseen paws was pure evil._

"_**If you were entrusted with a ray of precious light…"**_

_Tails didn't know which was more terrifying…the unknown fate that awaited or the complete powerlessness to avoid it. The corridor walls stood only narrowly apart, a separation so sparing as to strike claustrophobia into the hardiest of hearts – those stretches of bleak grey were interrupted only by dirty doors, twin rows glowering at each other from across an unsettlingly near distance. One after another, they began to fly open…as though conceding to a freak wind, as though obeying some mischievous spirit._

_Tails didn't want to look – from those twisting ears to those curling toes, he desperately didn't want to. Yet he was permitted no choice in the matter. An invisible fingertip pressed against that right cheek, turning his attention firmly toward one of the leftmost doorways. Tails thought at first that the small room was full of bright light – as the ghastly truth dawned, a tingle of alarm raced up a taut spine._

"…_**wouldn't you do anything to protect it?"**_

_Two figures occupied the padded cell, a pair of parrots – the feathers of the first were bright-red and the plumage of the second pale-grey, the sex of the first female and the gender of second male. Tails watched warily as the former sidled over to the latter, nuzzling with affection – and as he leant toward her, the fox-cub could feel his blood curdle. That black beak cracked as they jutted out, twin rows of savagely sharp teeth – a head soon bounced across the floor, rivers of red flowing free from severed veins. As the predatory parrot slowly swivelled, Tails welled with horror – that broken beak was stained by blood, those evil eyes burning with malevolence that must surely come from Hell._

"_**That duty I have done everything within my power to fulfil."**_

_Tails was weak with relief as that intangible fingertip touched the left cheek, driving his eyes toward a rightmost doorway. What the fox-cub saw in that second rubber room did not frighten him at all...though deeply disturb him it definitely did. Within stood a single figure…at least that was what at first appeared to be the case._

_Tails stared, his expression emptying like an unexpectedly upturned jug._

_The form was that of a cat girl...a female feline presently standing on three feet. This tripod of fur and flesh served to support a body most slender, the collar-bone elegantly framing a pair of pretty necks. Two equally lovely faces, identical to almost the last detail. Those feminine features were distinguished only by the hues of their furs; a dignified tabby-grey for the left and a lively cinnamon-brown for the right, directly dividing both halves of that shared body. Tails nearly forgot to breathe as they regarded him; two pairs of eyes, the first pale blue and the second vivid green._

_Was this two cats mixed together in one body...or one cat spread through two bodies?_

_Smiling sweetly as though he was a cute boy newly arrived at their school, the cat girls waved...with both right paws._

"_**And if continuing to do so means..."**_

_Weirded out beyond words, Tails felt that paw grasp the back of his head – as he stared straight onward, the fox felt something not unlike his heart leaping up into his throat. Though he had not seen it coming, there it was; the end of the corridor. And yawning wider with each step, waiting to take him; the final doorway. _

_Tails fought frantically against the paws – the more furiously he resisted, the faster he was held. Despite his defiance, he went like one of the three blind mice to the farmer's wife. Those padded walls were utterly unwashed, so covered in grime as to seem swarming with insects – and as they enclosed the fox-cub, an unmistakable slam resounded behind him. This side of the door was stained crimson, a terrible testimony to those who had tried to claw their way out of here._

"_**Tails is a…"**_

_Tails bowed his head in dark despair, sinking to his knees as though the strings had been cut - those walls of rubber closed in around him and those voices of formless evil taunted him, all driving the fox-cub to the edge of inevitable insanity. Here he had come…and here he would stay. Locked away from the rest of the world…in the freak asylum._

"…_**mutant."**_

* * *

The cobweb was a thing of beauty, formed by silken strand and supported by forked twig - having made the last touch to this masterpiece of incredible intricasy and fantastic fragility, the spider slowly descended. Yet the arachnid artisan would never see that new larder filled, would never feast upon the flies which strayed there…

An abyss, so vast that the whole world was certain to be swallowed...from the perspective of the spider, at least. From the perspective of many another living creature, those jaws would have seemed small and weak...though great and powerful enough to chomp down on the spider, bringing unto it an untimely end.

The Hunter Executioner, Zero smirked sardonically. _So there's this village of animals, livin' in huts and attendin' communal dinners…and here's me, crawlin' around in the woods and chewin' bugs in order to survive. Now that's irony._ That beast in the night had stopped to rest, appearing an immense arachnid as he crouched on the bough of a gnarled tree. An eerie resemblance given further power by that sleek black jumpsuit, the seams of which were sealed by white stitches – it fit so snug as to feel like a second skin, despite the less than designer quality.

_Those uber upgraded cyber pets may be freaky to look at…but they sure know how to handle needles! _Back bent low, Zero contemplated the unusual direction in which life had taken him. It still seemed like last night, he had been sentenced to eternal sleep…and this night, he had been given orders by the mystically enamored result of some ungodly union between lobster and bat. _Makes me wonder whether the trademark for 'Doctor Strange' is still intact...though I'd far rather think about the lovely 'Zatanna'! Yeah, she's welcome to mess with my head anytime! Or she was...somethin' tells me she's been on hiatus for a long while!_

As Zero pondered his appointed quest, smirk twisted into scowl - The Hunter Executioner still marvelled at the ease with which he had accepted it. _If he's Tweedledumb…then I'm Tweedledumber. But one thing The Magician Of Mixed Heritage got right…I'm the man for the job. _Of course, there had been little alternative - there was so much he needed to know about this Wonderland, after all.

He was rested – time to resume the prowl.

Zero rose, shrugging stiffness from those sinewy shoulders – something told him it would be most profitable to follow that cross between Toucan Sam and Loopy Honeybee. The Hunter Executioner bounded from tree to tree, face so fierce as to frighten darkness itself – the distant babble of an ever flowing river and the nearby chirp of an especially energetic cricket, nothing could escape those superbly sharp senses.

However advanced the technology behind their creation, those metal mannequins were only so capable as the one behind their programming - whereas he had proven himself worthy to become one of The Hunter Executioners. If it should take another thousand years, Zero would find Animal Commune.

_And when I do..._

**End Of Chapter**

_Author Notes - Heh, see what I mean?? Considering half the title is dedicated to it, scene four wuz real short!! Ooh, in case anyone is confused...T2's dream is a symbolic metaphor, everything in it corresponding with what he saw/heard/went thru that day!! Anyway, I hope that'cha enjoyed this...and will start work on Chapter Thirteen just so soon as possible!! 'Til next time..._

_Keep Up The Freedom Fight To The Bitter End!!_


	15. Dust In The Wind

_Author Notes - Know when ya drop a bunch of papers, getting them mixed up in the process?? And they aren't even numbered, so sorting them back into correct order is like living in a living nightmare?? Well guess what, that messed me up so many times while I was writing this!! By the fourth time, it wasn't even funny anymore!! Not that it was to begin with, like!! But there are hurdles during every journey and overcoming them only makes the whole experience all the more fulfilling, so hey!! By the by, is anyone else looking forward to the upcoming G.I Joe Movie?? I recently re-watched the old animated movie, the one that lotsa people didn't like...thing is though, I've never really seen why!!_

_Sgt. Slaughter: This is for Duke! (body-slam) This is for Falcon! (second slam) This is for me! (slam)_ _And this...IS FOR THE U-S-OF-A!! YOU...MAKE...ME...SICK!! (breaks the wing of Nemesis Enforcer, chucking him into a bottomless pit)_

_That makes me feel patriotic...and I'm from the UK!! Anyway, down to business - here it is, the latest chapter!! Guess I've kept'cha waiting quite a while for this un...so I'll leave ya'll to enjoy it!!_

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Dust In The Wind; Battle Of Wills**

Tails woke with a sickened start…and then wondered whether he really had.

It was the morning following momentous mission and apocalyptic aftermath – rays of renewed radiance came creeping in through windows, fingers of faraway firelight tenderly caressing furry faces. Yet even as many stirred, soon to begin their day…the twin-tailed fox-cub sank back beneath his blanket, wishing never to come back out. No matter how disturbing, a dream can only end - yet he lay now in the grip of an unspeakable fear, insidious horror from which there was no escape. Tails tried not to think, struggled to make a blank slate of his mind…yet like weak minnow swimming against powerful current, he was constantly forced back to the place from whence he sought escape.

_I'm a mutant…_

It was like the emergence of a hereditary disease, like poisoned blood flowing through the veins - the feeling of having been born unclean, the sense of having been left contaminated. It was strange to remember how the twin tails had made him feel light as air, made him feel like a fox with more freedom than most – now they made him feel like a Marked Mobian, forced to suffer a twofold taint of disgrace for so long as he lived. He was no miraculous cub, no source of precious light in these times of darkness - he was no wondrous Kitsune Fox, no divine assurance of great fortune for the people of Knothole. He was a freak…and the truth hurt. His power of flight, born from a chain of heartless atrocities…his ability to ride the wind, paid for with the lives of so many innocent people. One of whom had been his own…

…_and a murderer._

It was almost enough to make him gnaw those accursed appendages clean off; the truth of his existence. Try to escape it, the fox-cub had yet catch up with the fox-cub, it now did. Clearly as he had the previous night, he heard it again now; "…_she died so that her baby could live!" _There it was, harsher than the light now pouring in through the window. Whichever way he might try to slice it, he must face the reprehensible truth.

_I killed her…I killed my own mom! _

Had he never come, she would have stayed…yet he had lived, so she had died. And as the burden of that knowledge weighed heavily, Tails wished he could make it all stop. He wanted to run from this village, leave behind the lie he had been living – he wanted to go far away from the people here, forget forever the things he had felt while one of them. He might have tried to do so without a heartbeat of hesitation, had a discouraging thought not thrown the wrench of reality into his mental gears.

_Leave…Knothole? Go…where?_

The Wolf Pack? If he went to them, they would most likely detain him. And the thought of being dragged back like a runaway cub was not especially appealing. Boulder Bay? To be honest with himself, he realised that life among The Terapods would be far from fulfilling. And again, The Freedom Fighters would likely find him. Then there was the wide world…yet that which had once appeared so vast, now seemed only desolate to the disillusioned fox-cub. And in another bout of brutal honesty, he realised that it was scarcely a viable option anyway…loathe though he was to admit it, a child like him could never hope to survive alone out there.

_What should I do…? What can…? Why…?_

Tails curled up under the blanket, shaking as the enormity of it all overwhelmed his heart. Unable to forget and unable to flee, he could only lie there…alone in deepening pain, in building fury. Stay in bed, Tails definitely did. And for two whole weeks, as a matter of fact. Yet stay _away_, The Freedom Fighters did _not_.

Knothole Village was an unconventional community…yet also an active one. In terms of simplicity…news travelled, people talked. And so it spread like wildfire, that Tails refused to get up – general consensus was that he had taken ill, probably as a consequence of the last mission. The day _before_ the day before, Tails would have cringed to be considered so frail – yet in the days which crawled tediously by, there would be so much else to turn his stomach.

First to visit Tails had been Bunnie, wearing the sweetest of smiles and bearing the whitest of roses – after setting that flowery gift in a watery vase, the rabbit had sat down beside the cub. The cheerful Bunnie had held a distinctly one-sided conversation with the brooding Tails, her natural paw fondly stroking his furry forehead – the rabbit had cooed that just so soon as she was deroboticized, the first thing on schedule would be to give the fox a hug such that he had never experienced. Words which had served only to mask the question that she had wished to ask...

"_Am Ah off the hook, Sugah? Am Ah forgiven for last night?"_

Tails had wished that she would go check her make-up or something…

Second to come over had been Antoine, reverently carrying a splendid golden medal. At great length and in glowing detail, he had told of how this sign of distinction came to be earned…brought to the chest of Captain Depardiue by acts courageous and deeds heroic, pinned by the paw of none other than King Acorn. And for the valour of having dared face Doctor Robotnik, the gallantry of having been prepared to remain captive in return for the freedom of Sally and Bunnie…Antoine had given it to _Tails_. As the medal was laid down beside that rose, Antoine had pledged also to share his entire family history with Tails…and in a threat far worse, hinted that the fox _might_ one day be just like the coyote.

"_Monsieur Tails…simply because you are zee leetlest does not intend that you are zee lessest! Like my pare, your meenute shall come…and like zis medal, you shall shine!"_

Tails wondered why they _hadn't_ let The Nasty Hyenas eat him…

Rotor had come in third, shyly clutching a rolled up sheet of paper – this he had placed beside rose and medal, inviting the fox-cub to take a sneak peek at his latest top-secret project. Once unrolled, it had been revealed…as old blueprints for The Freedom Stormer, new notes added with dizzying abundance. In a voice which stammered with uncontrollable excitement, Rotor had explained all to the indifferent Tails – using rocket-boosters salvaged after the cataclysmic descent of Sky Spy, the walrus intended to dramatically redesign the old biplane. That the upgraded version would achieve far greater speeds, the walrus had no doubt…and just so soon as he was better, Tails would be welcome to help work on it.

"_Tails…we don't only see the cub you are, when we look at you. When we look at you, we see the fox you can become." _

Tails had willed for the jack to give way while the walrus was beneath the plane…

Streaking in last, Sonic the Hedgehog - an uncharacteristic delay soon explained, a snack steaming in that gloved paw. One piping-hot chilidog, plundered from a cryogenic vending-machine still intact at Robotropolis. As the heroic hedgehog had declared, nothing but the very best for his foxy friend. Sonic had launched into an oh so thrilling retelling of that escapade, braying raucously at the memory of how he had easily evaded a stray SWATbot.

"_Tails, ya don't hafta do anythin special…cuz ta us all, ya already special as can be!" _

Tails...had wished that they would all shut up, that they would all go away. They had all been met with dead silence, they had all departed in frustration - whatever they gave and whatever they said, nothing could extinguish the inferno raging within their friend.

Of Snively, Tails had seen absolutely no sign...and of course, he had not expected to. Tails ought to hate Snively...despise the human for his deeds, to say nothing of his blatant lack of remorse for them. And yet...the fox had no idea whatsoever as to how he should feel. The man had put an innocent vixen through hellish agony, it was true...yet in doing so, had also unwittingly saved the life of her cub. Because of her inclusion in that vile project, the mother fox had been spared from roboticization - as he contemplated an alternative fate in which his mother had indeed gone to The Roboticizer, Tails experienced a sudden coldness inside. Would he have remained fused within her bionic body, existing eternally as a mindless metal parasite...or would he have burst out of her lifeless womb, born into the world as a miniature monstrosity? For all he knew, the fate he had come to suffer instead was far worse than either...

Of Sally, Tails had glimpsed neither hide or hair...but then again, he had not _wanted_ to. Tails should detest Sally...loathe all the false promises she had made, the lie that had been her comforting presence. But as he strove to focus upon each of the times she had so casually deceived, he could not avoid memories of the joy brought by each instance. Chilled and warmed in equal measure by thoughts of the lying squirrel, the bewildered fox had no idea which would triumph in that collision of emotions. Or even which of them _should_ triumph, come to that...

_Rosie_ on the other paw, Tails had seen _plenty_ of – just so soon as word of that spontaneous sickness reached her, the nanny had come in concern to examine the cub. The woodchuck had brought a bowl of nourishing soup, intent upon ensuring that her patient ate well – an attitude which had lasted up until she placed a paw upon his brow. The total lack of ailed perspiration noted, an eyebrow had risen sharply – in an elderly mind, suspicion as to the nonexistent nature of that illness had developed. One growing stronger with each visit, fuelling the certainty that here was no sincere sufferer but instead a foxy faker. On the final fateful morning, it was made crystal clear that neither savoury soup nor soft stroke was coming to the cub.

At the sound of his door opening, the fox looked up - Rosie was stood there, basin clasped in paws. "Now…why are _you_ still in bed?" she exclaimed, "You have been lying there for _thirteen days_…thirteen days _too long_!"

Tails was grateful for the latter part of that second sentence – it had seemed at first as though she was saying something he knew already. "Rosie…I still feel really low." Certainly an honest statement…though one which savoured the wisdom of the serpent rather than the innocence of the dove.

And which failed to fool Rosie, "Well, who _would_ after two whole weeks of lying around like a dead Dragon Dove?" the woodchuck answered airily, walking over to where lay the fox. "You will feel better for some fresh air and sunshine…" her nostrils wrinkled, "...to say nothing of some _warm water_ and _soap_! You are a fine fox indeed, my dear Miles…but also a _fragrant_ fox, if you don't mind my mentioning!"

Tails gave the dirtiest of looks. Not only had she cornered him, she had used his 'real' name - the name he had always been embarrassed by, the name forced upon him by those now hated Freedom Fighters.

Rosie was undaunted by that fierce face, "_Oho_!" she chortled, stooping so as to put down the basin. "You _may_ look like thunder, young cub! Besides which, I have been caring for children long enough to know the difference between a sickness and a sulk!" she rose once more, sunny smile meeting sullen scowl. "_Now_, I intend to wash that blanket of yours. I can do so _right here_, if you want – but I really should _say_, you shall get rather _wet_. Well, Miles?"

The gauntlet cast down, silence hung in the air - knowing he was beaten, Tails made a move. Casting that blanket aside, the fox leapt up – with him came the rank odour of sweat, two weeks worth of which plastered the fur flat against his skull. His twin tails were thoroughly ragged, so disarrayed as to resemble a pair of mouldy feather dusters – in that squalid state, he presented the perfect poster-cub for the Festering For A Fortnight Fashion.

Tails lurched for the door, torn between urges either to spit or swear. And as he fumbled instead with the wooden knob, that hated name was heard again.

"Oh, Miles?"

Tails swung back again, ready to follow both impulses – as a pair of sneakers came whizzing at him, the idea was banished from mind.

As a gloved paw caught them, Rosie beamed. "Chin up." She concluded, flashing a Sonic-Style thumbs-up.

Tails turned away, looking like a pantomime demon – the irony of that sweet sentiment, he would soon learn.

As the door banged closed again, Rosie abandoned her façade. Her true feelings emerged at last, her bright smile ebbing away. Though the blanket certainly needed cleansing, that had not been her true motive for coming here. Over the last two weeks, a wall of tension had divided a band of once inseparable friends.

Sonic had spent many waking hours in motion, feet pounding the ground at such intense speed as to wear a ravine _within_ the one which accommodated Knothole Village – what made this _unusual_, the fact that the hedgehog had barely stopped to speak with another soul. Bunnie had been seen kneeling in her garden, mismatched paws tending to flora and vegetation – many flowers had wilted away and most carrots become home to worms, clear signs that the heart of the rabbit had no longer been in what was once a labour of love.

Rotor had been in perpetual need of materials necessary to work on his latest hobby-horse, continually making and abandoning plans to set off for The Great Swamp – though he had hardly been able to bear the village lately, the walrus was still loathe to go far from his home of a decade. Antoine also had fallen victim to the melancholy which spread like a virus – such was the new shortness of his manner, he had few opportunities to mangle sentences these days.

And as for Princess Sally…_she_ had only been seen at mealtimes, her eyes seeming to stare straight through the bodies of curious Mobians. To their fellow villagers, The Freedom Fighters had said nary a word…and to one another, far less than that. Despite that plain and simple exterior, Rosie was sharp as a barrel of toothpicks – and that this regime of estrangement had begun with the supposed sickness of a certain cub, she had not failed to observe.

Rosie chewed the corner of her lip, wondering whether she had done the right thing – this disturbing question was answered by the reasoning which had brought her here, that what she had done was absolutely necessary for the good of all. Until Tails went out and faced it, the problem would remain unresolved – and from years of experience in handling children, Rosie had known that he would never do so without a little well-intention meddling.

_Miles… _Rosie reached for the stale-smelling well-wrinkled blanket, breathing a sigh of worry – though many children had come into and gone from her long life, never had it become easier to judge what was for the best. _...__I have faith in your ability to resolve this situation._

To a great majority of villagers, the sun was pleasantly warm that day – Tails was a minority, feeling as though bombarded by baking beams. Knothole was like a scorching desert, that bountiful beauty no more than mocking mirage – a nearby patch of trees was the only oasis, a source of shade which called out like a siren song to him. But before he could set off for sweet relief, the fox was accosted by a pair of familiar figures – the first furry and the second smooth, both had made an immediate beeline for Tails.

"Tails!" Rotor grinned as though bearing down on a bucket of fish, "So stoked to see you up and about, cool canine!"

Tails suppressed a sneer, the walrus must have stayed up all night in order to rehearse _that_ one...

"_Bonjour_ à toi, renard d'ami!" Antoine squealed like a braking train, "Eet ees as Rotor bled the other reek, _absolootly abracadabra_ to be seeing you!"

Tails felt it return in a flash of crimson; that sense of injustice aroused by the respect given to this complete coward, that bitter resentment rising from the humiliation heaped upon he himself. And like a fang encrusted in caramel, his self-control began to decay…

Antoine gave a discordant giggle, "Ah, monsieur!" he exclaimed, "Are you to be walkeeng upon your paws?"

Rotor followed suit, "Yeah, Tails!" he chuckled good-naturedly, "I'm not really on top of things fashionable…but aren't shoes designed for _feet_? You gonna go join the circus as The Fantastic Flying Fox?

Tails winced in embarrassment, realising that the sneakers remained clenched in his paw. "Oh _gee_, I honestly haven't _decided_ yet!" he spat, stomping straight past them both. "But _one_ thing's for sure, I'm walking _away_ from The _Yellowest Coyote On Mobius_!"

Antoine sounded like a pricked balloon, laughter leaking away as those words sank in. "…comment?" he inquired faintly.

"T-T-Tails…?" Rotor stammered, "W-w-what…?"

"Are you stuttering at _me_?" Tails fired back a scathing glare, "Well _don't_, blubber bum!"

Leaving the walrus and the coyote to gawp, the fox went on his weary way – the trees suddenly seeming less attractive, he abruptly altered course. A place where he would be mercifully cool as well as blessedly alone; The Ring Pool. Unfortunately for that otherwise perfect plan, a certain hut lay along the way – and as he swept sullenly by, Tails did not spot the figure at the window.

All the same, Bunnie saw _him_ – and at that very moment, she bounded out on cybernetic soles. "Sugah Fox!" the rabbit beamed, coming to a halt in front of the cub. "Ah'm so happy t' see yuh! _Ooh_…frightful furday, darlin'? Aw, nevah mind! Ah've had _mah_ faiah shaiah o' those, though yuh may not believe it! Why don't yuh have yuhself a soak in The Great Rivah? Only this time, _Ah'll_ keep watch for _yuh_!" she giggled, offering that soft arm again. "Faiah is faiah, sweetie! Ah'll watch yuh back…'cos _yuh_ made sure nobody watched _mine_!" her silken whiskers twitched teasingly, "Yuh know, Ah don't really hold with shoes…but if Ah _did_, Ah would wear 'em on mah _f_…"

As though those eyes possessed the power to roboticize, Tails lowered his own – as though that arm was a serpent waiting to strike, his own remained still. "Don't think I'll bother, thanks." though he meant to snap curtly, his voice sounded softer than soft.

"_Oh_!" Ultra sensitive though they were, Bunnie could not quite believe her ears - mouth now forming a startled O and arm still held out, she presented a picture which he would once have found funny. "Well...any particular _reason_ why not, darlin?"

"No." Tails was surprised by the thickness of his own voice, it was as though shame strangled each word to pass those unclean teeth. "No real reason, Bunnie. I just don't..."

"Tails, darlin'..._look_ _at me_." Bunnie bade, her voice so sweet as to seem irresistible - so slowly that he might have borne the weight of the world, the fox looked up. "Are yuh still upset ovah..." she wavered for a moment, "...what Ah did?"

Tails shut his eyes, unable to bear the kind concern in hers. "Bunnie...you haven't done anything." and in point of fact, that was just the problem - his having listened in on the meeting of two weeks ago was neither here or there, _her_ having made no attempt at all to reveal the truth since was both here _and_ now.

_You knew the truth…and didn't say anything. Not a word…any of you._

"Then _what_, Sugah?" Bunnie cooed, reaching for his shoulder. "Yuh've always been the happiest fox in Knothole! Tails...what's changed?"

Tails backed beyond reach, staggering as though slapped - he couldn't bear her sympathy, wouldn't accept her charity. _If she's shoving this friendship at me out of pity...then I'll show her just where to shove it instead._ Just as he had shortly before that wretched meeting, the fox began to shake - at the thought of being pitied like a retarded or deformed child, he was hit all over again by nauseating anger.

Moving like lightning, Tails darted past Bunnie – as the fox fled, the rabbit cried out. "Tails! _Tails_! Don't yuh run away from me, Ah wanna talk t' yuh!" her voice rang, pulsing with anger.

_Well, I don't wanna talk to you..._

Knowing that it was the only way to escape her eyes, Tails ran - for the hollow victory of not having to hear her voice, Tails ran. Where precisely to, he gave no thought…perhaps just as well, given that he got nowhere at all. With a hurricane roar, came yet another interceptor – Tails took an accurate guess regarding who had skidded to a stop directly ahead, giving an extreme airing to his sweaty body. With mounting chagrin, Tails opened his eyes…and sure enough, saw a glad grin.

"_Heeey_, Big Guy!" Sonic exclaimed, flashing a thumbs-up straight from the heart. "Why ya up so _early_, tryin ta catch _worms_?"

Tails scowled at the spiny speedster. _Idiot… _he thought in irritation.

"But seriously, bud…" Sonic ceased to guffaw at his own joke, reaching over in order to soundly slap an orange back. "…it _radically rocks_ that ya outta bed! An ya know what would make this day _way beyond_ way past cool? A plate piled wit _chilidogs_! Yeah, a _mounda_ meaty munchies for two _bestest buddies_ ta chow down on! So herez the plan; ya go whip up a batch in the kitchen, I'll go kick back in the mess-hall!" the hedgehog paused once more, doubling over in renewed appreciation of his own wit. "Ooh, by the by…_sweet sneaks_, dude! But don'cha think they would look _way cooler_ on…"

As that playful paw nearly flattened him, Tails responded with a seething stare – if there really was a thin line between love and hate, it was now crossed. From the tips of those cobalt quills to the end of that black nose, the fox suddenly despised everything to do with the hedgehog – that bright smile which seemed to mock his own bitter scowl, that attitude he had once considered so cool. Sonic the big brother, Sonic the idealised hero…

…_Sonic the complete jerk!_

Tails glared, eyes blazing like twin diamonds cast into roaring flames. "Get them _yourself_." He snapped harshly, hardly believing his own words.

Sonic stopped laughing, realising what the fox had said. "Say what? I can't believe my ears!" he exclaimed, face blank with shock.

Tails narrowed those eyes into slits of cutting contempt, "And _I_ can't believe my _eyes_!" he snarled, "Always _running around_ _everywhere_, like we're all supposed to feel _honoured by your presence_! I've got _news_ _for you_, Sonic...I'm _fed up_ with seeing _your face_ and hearing _your voice_ wherever I go! You know _what_, Sonic? _You make_ _me sick_!!"

Sonic stumbled back, shaken to the core by that torrent of ferocity. "Tails! Chill, will ya?! It wuz only a joke..." he exclaimed, eyes wide as saucers.

"_You're the joke_, _Sonic_!!" Tails was far from chilling, he was shouting at the top of his voice. "_So just do me a favour and get over yourself_!!"

Furry fingers encircled his arm, bringing with them a touch which was gentle yet firm - before he could look down at them, they had turned him around.

"Now yuh stop that." Bunnie dropped onto one knee, having just caught up with the fox – the rabbit stared at Tails, her lovely eyes serious rather than furious. "Tails, Ah think yuh need t' say sorry t' Sonic."

Tails could feel his muzzle contort into a sneering grin, "But I'm _not_ sorry!" he hissed instead, "He's a _moron_ and deserves to _know_ it!"

_He deserves to know the truth...just like I did! I won't lie to him...I won't be like any of you!_

"Now Ah _know_ yuh don't _mean_ that, Sugah." Bunnie shook her head, rolling those emerald eyes. "Yuh ain't really mad with _Sonic_, now _are_ yuh? No, yuh mad about what happened the otha week! Now jest yuh apologise n' then we can all have an ovahdue lil' talk about..."

"Why don't _you_ butt the _hell_ out, Rabbot?!" Tails spat, his rage growing evermore reckless as curtains of crimson descended again. "None of _your_ girly _business_!"

Bunnie blinked, "…come again, Sugah?" she asked in a daze, incredulous as to what her ears had just heard.

Tails wracked that brain, searching for a way to get the better of Bunnie – the rabbit had strength, what had the fox?

"_Come_ _again_? You mean back to _the river_?" Tails grinned, eyes agleam with ill nature - he had _words_, words of _power_. "_Great idea_! Seriously, I get to spy on your _naked ass_ again!"

Bunnie started as though shot, "_Tails_!" she cried, her cheeks burning with horrendous embarrassment - it wasn't simply what the fox had said, it was that the _hedgehog_ had _heard_.

Tails continued without mercy, wielding that ultimate weapon with ghoulish glee. "Oh _sorry_, I _forgot_!" those jaws parted in a loathsome leer, "Way _too much_ for some of _my immaturity_...right? How about something a wee bit..._tamer_?" each word was as a poisoned blade, "Hey...I've _got it_! _How about_...you show me some _lubricated leg_?"

Like sections of severed rope, her fingers parted - and as she rose to full height, they came to rest upon quivering lips. "Oh mah stars! Oh Tails!" Bunnie practically whispered, emerald eyes so full of pain that they might have been struck with sharpened stones.

As he was immersed in the windows to her soul, Tails understood how very deeply those words had hurt Bunnie. Oh well, she would get over it...

_...just so soon as I'll get over everything else._

A growl of menace, rippling through the air - glancing nonchalantly over his shoulder, Tails discovered the source.

Brought no doubt by the sound of yelling, Antoine now stood close at paw - in answer to the arrow of malice which had been aimed at the apple of his eye, the coyote wore a mask of ferocity. The message emanating from those enraged eyes was clear as day; _ask_ _her pardon or answer to me._ And by his side, none other than Rotor - the walrus stared in stony silence, obviously disgusted by the behaviour he had just seen. Not so much as a word came from Sonic, an uncharacteristic reticence which served to indicate intense emotion.

Around the rabbit and the fox, converged the three - their respective positions formed a triangle, a diamond of masculine outrage. An atmosphere descended, one of electricity - all that could hold back outright explosion, the utterance of two short simple words. And should they fail to be heard, so help the three...

Tails looked again at Bunnie, the sneer practically pinned in place – she stared back as though at a complete stranger, struck dumb by hurt. _So this is where I say sorry…right? _"Know what, Aunt Bunnie? I just worked something out! You don't want to go in The Deroboticizer…because your worth to The Freedom Fighters depends on staying like that! And guess what! You're totally right! Without those metal muscles, you'd only be good at sitting around and looking pretty! By the way, I have a little confession to make!" that lapin brow creased in consternation, bewilderment now mixed with the horror. "When I said that you should be deroboticized right away, it was just to get you out of my hair…give me a better chance of going on missions, you know?" which wasn't true at all – but the target was a sensitive nerve rather than an accurate mark. "I mean, what did you think? That I actually gave a crap about…?!"

Let no mistake be made, Tails could have gone on – if left to do so, Tails _would_ have gone on. Yet the cub was not…and so the cub _did_ not. He was grabbed by the arm, turned with ferocity such as was impossible for him to resist – swung sharply away from tearful rabbit, tormenting fox was suddenly muzzle to muzzle with wrathful squirrel.

Over the course of the last two weeks, Sally had spent many a lonely night – almost all of them, she had dedicated to bitter reflection. The Princess had lost so much...the unwavering loyalty of Antoine and utmost respect of Rotor, the sisterly support of Bunnie and unbreakable trust of Sonic. All because of her desire to do what was best for Tails...whose love she seemed to have lost forever. Desperate to avoid meeting a single accusing eye, she had stewed in her hut for fourteen days and fourteen nights – an exile ended by the sound of his wild voice, yelling abuse in the distance.

Drawn out of hiding at last, Sally had watched in dumb disbelief as Tails lashed out at those around him – and as her ear caught that cruel taunt, she had swooped in like an avenging angel. Tails had a moment to stare blankly, take in the glaring eyes and grinding teeth of Sally – a moment later, he was being dragged away with such force that his bare feet hardly touched the ground.

Sally said not a word, that paw so tight it actually hurt – Tails did not notice as the sneakers slipped from his fingers, attention captured by their clear destination.

Just as in his dream, he didn't want to go any further – just as in his dream, he hadn't any choice in the matter. Sally halted abruptly in front of it, that doorway to her very own padded cell of the last two weeks. And there she closed her eyes tight, sorely tempted to lose that horrific internal struggle – with a surge of renewed resolve, she thrust the fox into her hut.

"In. _Now_."

Tails was tossed into a chair, the breath knocked right out of him – as he sat in a daze, a slamming sound assaulted his ears. Having tarried only long enough to lock the door, Sally turned around - like slivers of glass, her eyes seemed to slice right through the body of Tails.

Tails donned the most nonchalant smirk imaginable, silently scrambling to recover himself - here was his greatest challenge, the chance to prove just how much he did not give a crap anymore. "So, is that the way you invite _Sonic_ here?" the fox drawled, "By the way, aren't you going to ask about my s...?"

"Okay, you little _bastard_!" Sally snarled in a manner most unbefitting of royalty, seeming to fill the room as she advanced in anger. "I thought that you would need some time...but I see now that a _child-sized strait-jacket_ is what you need!"

Tails met those glaring eyes, his own now blazing. "Then why don't you just dump me in the _nut-house_, huh? Why not, then you won't be bothered by me _ever_ _again_!" it wasn't that those words reminded him of the dream, it was that they came from _her_. "Oh _wait_, you can't do _that_! Because civilisation crumbled ten years ago, didn't it? I bet _that's_ why you always ask not to be called The Princess...I mean, you're not The Princess of _all that much_ these days!"

Sally responded with a curl of the lip, "I don't value a thing based on its _size_, Tails." she said scornfully, "I just find it sad that _you_ apparently do."

"I thought you didn't _play_ mind-games, _Princess_." Tails shot back, sneering just like Snively at his best...or Snively at his worst, depending upon respective perspective. "Or is that just those you _can't_ actually _win_?"

Sally exhaled volcanic fumes, unable to believe that the cub was behaving so atrociously toward her; the one whom had first held him, the one whom had witnessed his first steps. "I am _so_ bloody _sick_ of you!" she spat, leaning so close that her eyes delved deeply into his. "Let me tell you _this_, Tails...if she saw you right this minute, your mother would be _heartbroken_!"

Though that cutting comment fell short of the intended mark, a stab of rage twisted within Tails - even after all that had happened, she dared to use his mother as a trump card. "_Shut up_!!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, leaping up from the chair.

"_Sit down_!!" Sally screamed back and suddenly they had returned to The Badlands.

"_No_!!" Tails refused to back down this time, so filled with fury of his own as to be utterly undaunted by hers.

Sally stepped forward, trembling in outward reflection of the struggle to control herself. "I said..." she growled, deadly calm. "..._sit down_."

Tails bared his teeth fearlessly, "And _I_ said..._no_." Swinging around, he kicked out - struck by that bare foot, the chair overturned with a thunderous crash. Spinning back again, he met that deadly glare with one all of his own. "I'll never obey an order of yours again, _you don't own me_!!"

"The way you treated Bunnie...to treat anybody that way!" Sally was coming close to the absolute end of her rope, "How can you act this way toward those who..."

"Don't say you _love_ me! Don't you _dare_!"

"Oh _how_ is it that I don't love you, Tails? Because I _shouted_ at you in front of the others? Because I took away your _pack_? Because I stopped you from being a _Freedom Fighter_? Are _those_ the reasons for your sulks and tantrums? You didn't get your _way_? I can't _believe_ you, one disappointment and..." Sally shook her head, disgusted beyond words. "I _spoilt_ you...but _no longer_. You were right that night...no more cuddles and kisses, no more stories and songs. The time has come...for _drastic action_."

Tails was breathing hard now, so hot that the room seemed to spin - the anger was intense, so much that it was a struggle even to see straight. "That isn't it at all." he growled, "This has nothing to do with The Freedom Fighters..."

"Don't _lie_ to me!" Sally snapped, voice dripping with contempt. "Don't you _lie_!"

"_Lie_?! _Lie_?! I've never met _anyone_ who lied so much in my whole _life_!" Tails teetered right on the verge of losing it, pushed there by that accusation - his eyes felt as though they were about to burst, his bones as though they were pumped with electricity. "_You're_ the one who should be in a _strait-jacket_! _Stuff you_!!"

Sally stood right where she was, her whole body shaken by blinding rage - then the silence was broken, that void filled by a deadly growl. "Stuff me? _Stuff me_?" spinning on her heel, she stormed over to the bed. "_You'll_ get stuff me, _my cub_!"

Tails watched as she got down on her knees, reaching into that dark space - Sally rose again, now holding something. Without a fraction of her previous reluctance, she whirled around – and as he saw it, the blood turned to ice inside Tails. What the squirrel brandished at the fox was no coarse coat with overlong sleeves – it was a slender rod of sleek wood.

Sally cast her mind back to that awful night, recalling how she had walked blindly from the hut of Tails – slinking back to her own hut, she had lain down and tried not to think. An endeavour that had proven futile as she stared up at the ceiling, alone at last with her deep dejection - The Princess had tossed and turned, unable to forget the stinging words which had driven her there. Besieged by thoughts of Tails, Sally had grown grim – the squirrel had tried to reason, the fox had not listened. If harsh measures were all that remained to her, then to harsh measures she would resort.

No later than the very next morning, Sally had paid a certain visit - Rotor had not so much as looked up from The Freedom Stormer, events of the previous night still fresh in mind. A tentative request to borrow his woodcarving toolset, he had answered with a gruff grunt – delaying only so long as it took to murmur her thanks, she had left with it. Strange though it would have been to say, she had actually been thankful for the current estrangement from her friends. Because of that awkward atmosphere, Sally had not needed to explain the reason for her request...and had he heard former, Rotor would never have agreed to the latter.

Sally had next sought a piece of wood, one best suited for her particular need - she had eventually found just that out in the forest, a thick branch fallen from a birch tree. This she had hauled back to her hut, slinging it onto the bed - for a weary week, the squirrel had whittled the broken bough down to certain size and specific shape. And into that long labour, she had poured bitter sorrow - if nothing else, those hours of aching activity had served to keep at bay her crushing loneliness. And then...it was done. Yet as she held her creation, Sally had not felt an ounce of satisfaction – this thing she had made, it brought nausea to her.

Sally gave the cane a warning swing, her eyes ovals of ice. "Tails, I don't want to use this." she laid down the law, her tone one of ruthlessness – yet in her heart, she silently pleaded for the fox to back down. "But if I must, then I certainly shall." And indeed she would, unfettered by so much as a shred of hesitation – anything in order to get rid of this glaring hooligan, whatever it took to get back the real Tails. "Choose now, which you want it to be."

_How it even happened, Tails had no idea._

_The two-tailed fox-cub had been honing his ability to slam home a dirt hockey puck - yet it seemed he had put just a tad too much force into swinging that tapered stick. The chain reaction set off by which had unfolded like a dream - that was to say a truly terrible dream. That black disc had flown over the sunny field, an arc which brought it right into the village...and as though by magic, straight toward the window of a hut. The village being Knothole, that window had contained not a splinter of glass - the window belonging to an old couple, that hut had contained a great deal of china._

_A cringeworthy crash had rung out across the village, complimented by a chorus of consternation...which had in turn caused the fox to take flight across the field, heart pounding so hard he kept looking back in order to discover just who was kicking him. Collapsing behind The Great Beech, Tails could only cower in dread...and as the grass began to rustle, the cub tensed in anticipation._

_"All right, show yourself!" a stern voice demanded, "I know you are there, come out this very instant!"_

_And despite being petrified, Tails had no choice. Opening those eyes wide, the cub rose again. Knowing who waited for him, he stepped out into view._

_Sally stood a foot from the tree, blue eyes flashing in the light of day – they immediately sighted the frightened fox, narrowing into sharp slits as they did. "Don't hide like that! Come here!" she commanded, her voice so grim that none would have dared disobey._

_Tails went to Sally, heart never heavier – the clearer became her scowl, the more afraid he was. The instant he was within reach, he was taken by the wrist._

_Sally looked straight into those bright eyes, "I have a question to ask…and know the answer already. What I want…is the truth." her words were clear and precise, leaving no doubt as to what she meant. "This is not about being found out for what you did…this is about being honest enough to admit that you did it. If you tell me the truth, I will decide what to do with you. If you lie to me, I will…I will cane you! Do we understand each other, Tails?" she paused to wait patiently, going on after he had nodded nervously. "Very well. Tell me…" the squirrel maiden leaned closer to the fox child, their eye-contact almost a magic spell. "…did you accidentally break Mrs. Dachs' best china?"_

_Tails wavered a moment, eventually mustering the courage to nod...then burst into tears, sobbing into gloved paws._

_Sally waited once again, glad to have impressed the point. "Are you done now?" she asked at length, once the sniffing had faded – he looked up, muzzle now wet. "You could have denied it…and would have been bad. But you admitted it instead…and are good after all." the cub stared, lower lip quivering – then he flew for her, wrapping his short arms around her slender waist. "All right, all right!" she gave a laugh, her demeanour softened somewhat – as his nose was buried in her furry chest, her paw stroked the top of his head. "You can calm down now!"_

_They stood for minutes uncounted, with no need for words - his arms held her tightly, her paw reassured him warmly. Once she was certain he had calmed down, Sally placed both paws upon the shoulders of Tails - the squirrel gazed at the fox, her eyes full of kindness and his face covered with love._

_"Now then, back to the matter at paw." Sally declared, her face adorned by a smile. "Here is what you are going to do..."_

_Tails was soon headed back for the village, walking by the side of Sally - and with the squirrel maiden looking on, the fox child had soon stood before Mr. and Mrs. Dachs. As the badger couple listened sternly, Tails had made a meek apology - silver-striped muzzles forming smiles of forgiveness, they had accepted it. On a certain condition, that was to say - Tails had agreed at once, alert to the watchful eye of Sally. And as the next two weeks unfolded, Tails had been seen toiling away alongside Mr. and Mrs. Dachs - lending a paw in tending the garden and in cleaning the hut, he had worked off his debt. While nervous to start off, Tails had soon loosened up - The Dachs had been kindness itself, he had been invited to dinner and shown their cuckoo clock. Tails had come to understand just how much he meant to the badgers, learn that they treasured the gift of being able to watch as he grew up. His heart had known what it meant to live in a village full of people who loved him._

_Most of all, Tails had been thankful for Sally._

Tails stood stiffened, feet almost frozen – then his eyes wrenched from that ominous rod, burning defiantly at she who wielded it. "Go screw a SWATbot, Your Bitchness!" he spat, "You bring that anywhere near me, you never see me again!"

It was neither empty threat or emotional blackmail – the fox would rather die than surrender to this bully.

With deliberate slowness, Sally raised the cane – like bolts of thunder reflected in windows of polished glass, her eyes now contained the clear sign of danger. "Hold out your paw." she said in a voice which would have made Ari jump, "Three swipes. This time. I'll give you extra swipes if you move before I'm done. Behave like a nasty cub and I will treat you as one."

Tails was actually swaying by now, his stomach seeming unsure whether to leap up or duck down – more and more, the unreality of it all dazed him. Just two weeks ago, Tails would never have expected to receive so much as a harsh word from Sally – at this moment, it seemed incredible that any kind of bond had ever existed between he and she. Just two weeks ago, Sally had read bedtime stories to Tails – on this afternoon, she was going to beat the ever loving crap out of him. His mind flew in every direction at once, wondering what would happen should he scream a refusal or leap out a window. Neither was an option, of course. Even if he got away now, the fox would have to face this in the end.

Tails held out a paw, inevitably as the last leaf of autumn - determined not to betray an ounce of terror, he ripped off the glove. "I'm not afraid of you. And I'm not your cub." he snapped, flinging it down on the floor.

Sally stared at the upturned palm, skin drawn taut over bone…and with sudden ghastly clarity, she saw her own intention. What was about to happen made her flesh creep…yet she could not back down now. Having come this far, she must take the plunge or eat her words…and though she felt ill to think of the former, the latter would mean the end for her authority.

There was a whistling whoosh…followed by a sickening smack.

Tails almost hit the ceiling, only avoiding doing so through sheer effort of will – it was as though lightning had struck his paw, leaving him to tremble as though a bomb had gone off nearby. Despite that supreme struggle, a sharp gasp passed his dry lips – seconds crawled by as he panted, pain searing through that paw. Tails wanted to break down right there, wanted to cry for mercy – yet as his sight ceased to spin, both desires dissolved in an instant.

Sally watched in silence, arm poised and face stern – she clearly waited for tears and apologies, for surrender and obedience. That was how it seemed…yet appearances so often mislead us. For she had heard that whimper of pain…and it had flown straight to her heart. And though her face remained like scorched stone, her legs turned to wet wool. Ten years ago, her paw had brought the cub into this world…and on this day, it had brought harm unto him.

Sally prayed for the punishment to go no further, for her paw to be stayed by a word from Tails – by the expression of his face, she felt that hope brutally crushed.

"Didn't feel a thing!" Tails returned that stare, his own just as steady. "You couldn't knock the skin off a rice-pudding!"

With no alternative open to her, Sally raised the cane again – as she made ready to deliver the second swipe, that wooden rod was slick with cold sweat. The Princess continued to gaze at her estranged charge, hoping for a breakthrough which would end this mutual ordeal – if the cold fire of his eyes was evidence to go by, the age of miracles was long gone. Down the cane came again, its impact inducing another wince from the squirrel – despite this addition of fresh fuel to the inferno which engulfed his paw, not a twitch came from the fox.

Sally began to feel afraid, much more than ever she had in the darkest depths of Robotropolis – as the cane had descended upon that palm again, those eyes had not so much as flickered. To remain cold and empty as frozen and stagnant pools, that was their sole reaction to such pain – the lifeless desolation of those eyes, such was the source of that gnawing fear.

Sally found the strength for one last swipe…yet had lost all will to deliver it. Those eyes were far more chilling than a fall into sub-zero water...because he just wasn't in there. _What…am I doing? I...actually hurt him! _Warm saliva pooled past her clenching jaws, her stomach lining dissolving into sludge. The cane came down a final time, to strike not furry palm but instead wooden planks.

Sally soon followed, dull pain registering in her knees as she folded up like a lawn chair - her mouth opened, her stomach heaving. And as the nausea hit peak point, it came in a spurting spasm - a mix of liquid and solid, a stream which would not cease once it had begun. Leaving behind a taste so vile as to be that of the rage which had possessed her, she felt it being purged from her body in a series of thick torrents. After the fourth heave, it was all gone...leaving the squirrel to feel empty, in more ways than one.

Tails had watched as the shamed squirrel vomited, distracted by a realisation of nature no less unpleasant. In that battle of wills, the fox had triumphed over Sally...yet of this victory, nought but a mess had come. Though his nerves were of steel, his anger still burned hot - his heart was as a forge, a dark place from which came tempered hatred. He had to get out of here, had to get away from her - turning from the squirrel, the fox began to walk. He headed for the door, foot flattening his discarded glove - with his good paw, he reached for the latch. And as he began to lift it, a strange laugh reached his ears...

"Oh, _that's right_! _Run away_, Tails! Just run away from everything you _can't handle_! What _shall_ we do with the boo-hoo _baby_?"

Tails craned his neck in order to look back, pushed to the point of absolute indifference regarding what he would see - Sally wore a sickly sneer, dignity now utterly abandoned. "I'm not running." he answered flatly, "There just isn't anything more to say."

Sally nodded in agreement, eyes now containing only the weakest vestiges of anger. "That's right." she replied, sounding as though sand paper had been applied to her throat. "From this moment on, my paws are washed of you. Go wherever you want and do whatever you want, stay up after dark and make friends with traitors. I hope that you will be very happy, Tails." still she did not rise, weighed down by the heaviness of her heart - she felt as one of the roboticized, helpless in every insidious sense of the word. "Well, what are you _waiting_ for? You _wanted_ to go, didn't you? _Go_. I won't _stop_ you." she snarled in bitterness, her face swollen with rancour - she could not bear to look at him, could not stand to see such clear evidence of her failure. "_Did you hear me_?! _I said go_!! _I don't care anymore_!!"

Despite the resolve he had made, words seemed to stick in the throat of Tails – though he had told her to stay away, he felt an anguished wrench as she agreed to do just that. "Sally…" the cub murmured, heart practically torn apart by the two opposing desires now vying for dominion over it. _What's wrong with me? I wanted this! Didn't I...? I just don't know anymore...! _Colossal force shook the latch, jarring his paw painfully – with a gasp, he let go. The fox whirled around, stumbling back in the process – as a reward for his swift reaction, he got to watch as the door was ripped right off its hinges.

Ari stood in the gaping opening, face like a storm cloud – at the sight of the squirrel shaking on paws and knees, the ram swung around and towered over the fox. "You know what, _kid_? You know _what_?" that paw had been kept in check, stayed in order to preserve the innocence of Tails – now it grabbed his throat, yanking him into the air. "_That does it_!! _Just about does_ _it_!!" holding the cub at eye level, the ram gave a growl of menace – spit leapt like sparks from his throat, his nostrils flaring in fury. "_She's been your mother_, _how dare you do that to her_?! _Why not try that with me_, _you little_…_yow_!!

Tails had not the chance to so much as struggle for breath – the blood pounding in his ears had nought to do with want of air. The accusation of having assaulted Sally, it brought that blood to volcanic heat – it could not be borne, Tails must be avenged at once. His teeth sank into that snout, biting down for the sheer hell of it – he had been driven beyond reason, shoved past the point of caring about inevitable consequences.

"Gettim off!! _For the love of Mobius_, _gettim off_!!"

"Tails, stop it!! _Tails, stop_!!"

Tails latched on like an orange leech, ignoring the agonised howl of Ari and the terrified scream of Sally – and as blood tinged his tongue, he was grasped by paws.

"_Let me gooo_!!" Tails roared in blind fury, teeth slipping from that snout. "_Let_…_me_…_gooo_!!"

Tails looked around as though caged, his bare soles having returned to wooden planks. At his left stood Sonic, not a joule of cool about the hedgehog - and at his right was Rotor, any lump of softness now strained from the walrus. As they glared like a duo of mismatched jailors, he was reminded disturbingly strongly of the night on which Snively had been brought to Knothole.

Sally had risen again and now stood in front of the kneeling Ari, her tender paw caressing the nose of the ram. "Tails, are you satisfied now?" the squirrel asked, showing the fox an eye cold as an endless winter night. "Look at what you have done to him, Tails!"

_Look what you did to me!_ Tails bit back the obvious retort. _How could you, Princess Hypocrite?_

A growl floated up from the floor where lay Antoine, having slipped on the puddle of vomit as he ran in. "_I_ am theenkeeng that thees ees a cub in need of some _time-out_." the coyote suggested, his manner one of uncommon lucidity.

Rotor nodded in agreement, paws akin to gummy bonds. "_Bad_ cub, Tails." he breathed, "_Very_ bad cub."

Sally turned to the restrained fox, as an aunt no longer - changed beyond imagining, her bearing was now that of a Princess ready to pass judgement. "Put him in a prison hut. While he calms down, we will discuss what must be done." she commanded without hesitation, though the words brought great pain to her.

Tails was torn between snarling at the indignity and laughing at the irony, despite his feeling of sickening powerlessness - another meeting was to take place in this hut, another discussion which would shape his future. "_No_..." panted the cub, struggling not to go berserk again. "...I wanna _hear_ it! Whatever you decide, I wanna _know_! I'll keep _calm_, I _swear_..."

"You swear? You think that means anything to us?" Sally shot this down without mercy, "All the trust we ever gave you, you have thrown back in our faces! Your word means no more than dust in the wind!"

Tails closed his eyes as it built behind them...

"Sorry ta say this...but I totally gotta agree wit Sally." came the stern voice of Sonic, "Ya actin like a freak, Tails..."

...and went up in a final cataclysmic eruption.

"_No_, _I'm not acting like a freeeak_!!"

Tails threw back his head...and screamed. Screamed until his voice rang out across the village...screamed until the roof of his mouth was ready to split...screamed until he was slapped soundly across the face. Tails pitched back, slumping in the paws which now served to support him - the fox panted in disorientation, silence descending over the hut. When at last his eyes regained their focus, they were greeted by the face of a certain rabbit.

"All o yuh..." Bunnie breathed, shoulders rising and falling - though her organic paw had delivered that slap, it had felt as solid steel. "..._calm down now_!"

Awareness returned to Tails, yet defiance did not. Physically and mentally burnt out, the fox could only wait to be taken away and locked up. The bringing of humiliation and the loss of freedom, those twin fears were to be realised at last. And as he realised it, he yearned to be dead. _No...more than that. I wish...I was never born. _Then at last it came, cutting through that atmosphere of sheer madness - the light at the end of the tunnel, a gasp of sudden clarity.

"Oh..._oh my gosh_!"

Sally whispered those words from the other side of her hut, where she had been thrust by the shoulder of the rabbit. The squirrel approached the fox, cheeks clasped in paws. Her eyes were wide with horror, the meaning of his anguished howl now in stark context. Sally gazed at Tails, shock etched into her face - Tails stared at Sally, misery brimming in his eyes. He and she were now unmasked before each other, all pretence and deception stripped away.

"You..._you know_!"

**End Of Chapter**

_Author Notes - Heh, can't tell ya how tempted I wuz to make the title of this 'un "Tails Goes Off The Rails"!! I eventually abandoned that, on the grounds of it being too cheesy...but I still say that a better title for Chapter Six would have been "Sally and Naugus Start Pretending that they're Gandalf and Saruman"!! Anyway, hope that'cha enjoyed this - I'll hopefully start work on Chapter Fourteen soon!! And until then..._

_Keep On Freedom Fightin'!!_


	16. Predator And Prey

_Author Notes - The perfect inspiration for writing adolescent anger, capturing the pure essence of such endless frustration? Hours spent playing the classic NES game, "Battletoads"! Okay, okay! Laughs I admit it, the inspiration for THAT wuz our latest helping of Angry Video Game Nerdiness! But hey, I did fish out the game for a nostalgic whirl! And the result? Totally gotta agree with James' Battletoads/Space Invaders comparison! Meh, I personally preferred the "Battletoads" and "Double Dragon" crossover sequel...but heck, even that had the bleeding SPACESHIP STAGE! Another toad tidbit, did ya'll know that there wuz nearly a "Battletoads" TV Series? Yeah, only it didn't survive past the pilot episode! Ya can find that online, I actually kinda dig it! It's such an excellent example of nineties cheesiness, ya know? (Oh and just try convincing me that Professor T. Bird_ _doesn't sound exactly like Jakan, the henchman of Sesshomaru_ _from "Inu Yasha"!)_

_Whew! Now, onto the actual chapter! Hope ya'll enjoy this, kinda short though it may be!_

**Chapter Fourteen**  
**The Predator and the Prey; The Squint Of Snively**

Ari rose to full height and massaged his raw snout tenderly.

"Damn it to hell, kid! Watch were you stick those things, you son of a bloody…" he grunted thickly.

Tails growled as those words rekindled his quenched spirit, "Don't say 'bitch' ram! Don't go there!" he warned despite being in no position to threaten anyone.

Ari deigned a sidelong glance at the fox, " As a matter of fact, I was gonna say 'son of a gun'. But now I'll really have to go with 'son of a SWATbot'." he answered dryly.

Tails's eyes narrowed into slivers of blue flame.

He might have never known her. But to insult his mother was the ultimate sin and to be punished with utmost severity.

"If you don't want your big fat snout bitten, then don't shove it in my face! You told me to go for it so I went for it, you big idiot!" the fox snapped scathingly.

A smirk crossed the face of the ram, "Yeah; that I did. And that you did son." he said in a tone of begrudging respect for the cub's sheer guts.

"Tails…oh Tails! This can't be real...how could you possibly know?" Sally breathed.

She took a step closer to the fox.

Her heart ripped in half as he tried to back away with a fearful flinch.

Tails closed his eyes and muttered, "Go stand out on the train-tracks, Sally. It's sure to hit you after a bloody while."

His voice was as hard as the hockey-stick that he had once swung with little care.

As cold as the black puck which had smashed Mrs. Dachs's china plates to smithereens. And at long last, Sally understood. What had caused the grass to rustle just underneath her window that fateful night? The vexing remarks which Tails had made to her in his hut shortly after. The fox had overheard everything.

And all of it had eaten away at him throughout the two whole weeks that followed.

But why hadn't he breathed a word to anyone about what he'd been going through?

Of course, the horrified squirrel knew the answer already. His heart had been so full of pain. Just like her own. Sally and Tails had locked their hearts away, having been hurt beyond words by each other's actions. The fox and the squirrel had been the same, determined to keep company with the rages stewing inside them. And today they had finally collided, bringing complete annihilation unto each other.

Sally raised a paw to aching eyes and then dropped it again.

She was utterly undone by this turn of events.

All the wind had been taken out of her sails.

"Let him go." the squirrel commanded flatly. Sonic and Rotor looked in surprise at her.

"Let him go!" Sally yelled at the top of her voice.

Tails collapsed in on himself like a puppet without strings.

The Princess embraced the disorientated cub as his body landed in her gentle arms.

"Tails, are you all right? Stay with me, Tails! I'm so very sorry! I just didn't understand! I didn't understand!" Sally rambled through the tears now trickling down her face.

"What the…?" Sonic gasped in bewilderment.

When last the hedgehog had scoped this scene out, Sally had been majorly cheesed off with Tails!

"...heck is going on here?" Tails would have rolled his eyes if they hadn't felt like chunks of lead. "Hey, I do other impressions too! Anyone want to hear the one of a princess admitting what a lying-faced liar she is?"

Rotor's jaw hit the floor in understanding, "So that's it! You heard it all!" he gasped.

"Par les gaines Des Déesses! Zee light of clarity shines at last!" Antoine clambered out of the vomit puddle, not even bothering to brush himself down.

"Tails, mah sweet darlin', yuh know?" Bunnie gasped, her eyes welling with deep sympathy. "Oh Ah'm so sorry Ah hit yuh! But Ah had tuh, yuh see? Yuh were hysterical and yuh have tuh do that when someone is hysterical!"

"Oh man, little bro! I so totally get it!" Sonic gave such a wince that he might have just sat on himself, "Why, Tails? Why didn't ya come an' tell me? I woulda been there for ya! Not even bein' curb stomped by a SWATbot coulda stopped me!"

"Did I blink and miss something or what?" Ari glanced around at the sea of softening faces in bewilderment.

Sally bit her lip as she was ravaged from within by sheer guilt.

"You were listening, weren't you? At the window? You caused the grass to rustle but moved out of sight before I came to check. Oh Tails, you had no..." the squirrel broke off wretchedly. She sounded like a complete and utter hypocrite and she knew it.

Tails opened his eyes and stared right into hers, "You've done a whole load of stuff you had no right to lately. A whole load." the fox said in a painfully blunt voice.

"On the subject of things yuh had no right tuh do, Sally Girl, Ah have a lil' bone tuh pick with yuh. Or should Ah say a lil' stick?" Bunnie said in a tone of horrible coldness.

The rabbit was holding the fallen cane in her metal paw until her mechanical fingers tightened and snapped it in half. Bunnie's teeth were clenched savagely and eyes livid as she threw the broken cane out of the window.

Sally had never been happier to see something go. She would have sliced both of her paws off at the wrist before raising them in anger to the cub ever again. What she had done to him scarcely seemed real now. It was like a fading dream whose lingering shreds still clung to her mind. Yet the deed she had committed was grim reality and now she was forced to shoulder the responsibility for it.

Sonic's eyes narrowed into sharp slits as he looked from the quivering body of Tails to the guilt-ridden face of Sally. "Sally! Did you...?" he began in a tone throbbing with rage.

"Don't worry, you guys." Tails sneered, "I can take a little pain. Unlike Ari! 'Ooh, I'm a big tough Freedom Fighter! Get him off or I'll die, ooh!' Gee, I hear all of Mobius breathing a huge sigh of relief already!"

"Ouch. In more ways than one." Ari coughed, his cheeks burning with embarrassment.

Sally let go as the cub pulled away from her. "I didn't do it to hurt you. I...I..." she stammered. It felt bizarre to have gone so soon from punishing him for his behavior to justifying her own to him.

"You what, Sally?" Tails backed away from her, his teeth clenching. "You lied to me since the day I was born? That's how you planned not to hurt me? Well, take a good look! Did it work, Sally? C'mon, take a good look at me and then tell me how just how well that magnificent bloody plan of yours worked out!"

"No! I loved you since the day you were born! I always have and I always will! What must I do to make you see that?" Sally exclaimed.

The realization of just how much his love had meant to her brought burning tears to her eyes now that there was a great chance of losing it forever. The squirrel raked at her hair. There were so many people around that she could barely think. If only she had room to catch her breath. To gather herself.

Sally cleared her throat, "Okay everyone, could you please leave Tails and I alone? I'm grateful that you came but I think that I can take things from..."

Bunnie cut the squirrel dead. "Ah don't think so, Sally Girl." Her velvet voice was so sharp that splinters of glass might have been sewn into it.

Sally looked at her, "Bunnie?" she stammered.

Bunnie glared at the squirrel as though she was Robotnik. "Why yuh want the rest of us tuh leave, Sally Girl?" she spat, pointing with a cybernetic finger of accusation. "So yuh can thrash him again? So yuh can kill him? Ah'm tellin' you, Ah don't care if ya'll are the Princess of Timbuktu! Yuh evah lay a paw on him again and Ah'll smack you all the way tuh the other side of Knothole! It doesn't matter what he said tuh me, yuh or anybody else!"

Rotor gave a deep growl, "Two weeks ago, you asked us to help you handle Tails, is this what you meant, Sally? If I'd known what you were gonna use those tools for, I wouldn't have lent you them in a million years and you know it!"

Sally looked from the rabbit to the walrus, stung by the mutual disgust in their eyes.

"Rotor!" her voice was almost a plea for forgiveness.

Tails ceased to retreat as white-hot anger contorted his face, "What can you do? What can you do? Haven't you done more than enough already? You knew my mom was dead and you never planned to tell me! And don't say that you kept it from me because you wanted to protect me! You just didn't want me to know you'd been lying to me for all these years! This wasn't about protecting me! It was about protecting yourself!" he shouted.

"Wish I was with you guys instead of being lost in What The Hell Lane." Ari's left eye was squinting as he glanced from the fox to the squirrel.

Sally swung around to face the fox-cub, "Okay, okay! I handled things badly! I admit that freely!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.

But Tails was going full steam by now and shouted over her, "No you didn't! You didn't admit it at all! That's the point! You would never have breathed a word if the ball had stayed in your court! And that isn't all you did! You yanked me out of The Freedom Fighters! Even though you knew how much being a member meant to me! You threatened to make me live like a baby unless I did what you said! The others don't know about that, do they? You beat the living hell out of me because I wouldn't give in to you! All of that's supposed to prove you love me? Well, I must really love you right now!"

Sally panted for breath, struggling to regain ground in the face of this onslaught of accusations. "I was only trying to...show you...that bad actions have consequences!"

But she knew that there was no excuse for any of the things she'd done.

The squirrel had become a tyrannical ogress and fallen to an unforgivable depth of cruelty.

Tails trembled from head to toe with the sheer depth of rage which had been chained inside him for two weeks and was now finally given release.

"Oh, is that right? Well, guess what? Here are the consequences of your bad actions! I wish I'd kept my stupid mouth shut when that fat-ass bastard Robotnik sent the Sally Bot here in your place! Do you get what I'm saying? I hate you! I wish you'd been bloody roboticized!" the fox screamed.

Sonic hefted a sigh as a resigned grin spread over his muzzle, "Okay keed, take a swing at me and get it over with." he offered.

"What?" Tails snapped suspiciously.

Sonic tilted his chin back, "Go ahead, ya get one for free! But jus' the one, ya understand? Ya feelin' mad at the world, Big Guy. So just serve every slice o' that cheese ta me and get ridda it all at once!"

Tails wavered as temptation tingled in his paw.

The moment passed and the urge evaporated like a mist.

"You aren't worth the effort." the fox sneered.

Sally could feel icy sweat trickling through her brown fur, "You...couldn't have meant that, Tails. You're confused right now. So much that you just don't understand the meaning of those words. I understand that you are angry. I know that you have every reason to be. So just listen. Listen to me, okay?" she said in a faint and almost dream-like voice.

The squirrel went over to the chair which had been kicked over and righted it once more. Pictures were now beginning to appear on the canvas of her numbed mind. Herself as a young squirrel maid, reading from a book of fairy-tales to Tails who lay in bed as a wide-eyed infant. Tails as a slightly older fox-cub, playing in the middle of a grassy field as she watched and tried not to laugh with delight. They couldn't allow their love for each other die like a flower crushed beneath a carelessly placed foot.

"You, sit down. Just sit down. The rest of us will go away. Leave you to think for a while. And when you're calm, I'll come back again. I'll sit down with you and we'll talk everything out together. Anything can be solved through talking. All the things you are upset about? I'll find solutions to make us both happy. And as for how you feel about what happened to your mother, I'll...I'll get you through it. Somehow, someway. Then you can get washed and have a long sleep and wake up tomorrow morning. And everything will be okay just as though nothing ever happened. I promise! Trust me like you used to, Tails!" Sally begged, looking over the back of the chair at him.

Everything she had just said was possible.

She knew it was.

If only he would listen. If only he would let it happen.

Tails closed his eyes, "I'll feel filthy after a million baths. There'll be too many nightmares for me to sleep well. I have nothing to get up for. Doesn't matter how long we talk. Won't change a bloody thing. My mom will still be dead. And I'll still be the one who killed her." he said thickly.

His words were as bleak as a grey cloud.

And accompanied by tears which fell like rain.

"What?" Sally's voice had fallen to an almost deathly whisper, "Is that...is that what you think? No! Tails, no! Don't you see? Your mother clung to the last shreds of her life so that you could have yours! You were her baby! And she gave up everything for you!"

Tails opened his eyes and the tears flowed freely as he looked straight at the squirrel, "She didn't die because it was the right thing to do. She died because I was wrong for this world. If I wasn't...what I am...she would still be alive." he sniffed.

"Is that what worries you?" Sally was desperate to comfort the weeping cub, "Being different? Don't let it! None of us are going to start treating you differently!"

Sonic came closer and stood beside the desperate princess, "Ya know, I can't believe I'm sayin' this but go slow! Think about this for one sec! When did bein' different ever stand between me and glory? Never, Big Guy! Why be like the rest when ya can be the best?" he exclaimed.

Bunnie stepped forward to soothe the fox, "Jest listen to the sugah Hog. He's spouting a whole lot of sense. So yer bod is different from those of others. Ah'm different too and can tell yuh that it ain't anything tuh feel ashamed of." she said sweetly.

Tails's head was pounding like a sledge-hammer as he shook it, "No! I'm not like either of you! Sonic, you being different makes you a hero! Me? I'm no better than an oil-slick made by Robotnik! What would the people of this village think if they knew how I was born? And Bunnie, at least you can hope to be normal again someday! But me? I'll never be anything other than a disgusting freak..."

Rotor puffed his cheeks out in distress, "Tails, don't say such horrible things! You aren't only hurting yourself!" he pleaded.

"Rotor ees een zee right, monsieur Tails!" Antoine gave a concerned cluck and produced a silken handkerchief from his pocket, "Brave soldiers are not to be cryeeng! Now be dryeeng your eyes! You do not want to be upsetting Auntie Sallee and Auntie Bunnee, yes?"

"You know what? Why don't you just do it already? Why don't you just lock me up and forget I ever existed?" Tails covered his eyes with his paws, sobbing beyond control.

"Aw, Sugah! We could nevah do a thing like that! Sweetie, please don't cry! Ah can't bear seein' yuh this way! We were all so worried while yuh were in bed!" Bunnie cooed tenderly.

The rabbit was moved to witness such pain, understanding only too well what the cub must feel right now.

Ever since her close brush with The Roboticizer, she had felt isolated from everybody else in the village.

Tails bowed his head as he shook with violent sobs, "Well you can stop worrying now, can't you? Everyone can just stop worrying! Leave me alone! Stay away from me!"

"Oh, you selfish cub! Can't you see we're only trying to help you?" Sally cried in anguish.

Breaking down at last, the squirrel girl sank to her knees as blinding tears flowed free in bitter liberation.

Within a heartbeat, Sonic was down on his own knees and hugging her. "Sal, it's all okay! It'll be okay, Sal!" the hedgehog breathed.

As that final accusation rang in his drooping ears, Tails uncovered his raw ears and stared brokenly at the weeping squirrel. Sally had promised to love him come what may yet only raged in answer to his sadness. It seemed to him now that her love was only for when his behavior pleased her. A privilege to be granted and withdrawn. And though it was only now as clear as the harsh light of day, this had always been the way of things.

Therefore…

"Snively was right." Tails murmured as his whiskers bent under the weight of disillusioned tears.

Sonic's head snapped up as that loathsome name was uttered. He looked at the fox and, all of a sudden, his eyes were ablaze with the intensity of a nuclear explosion reflected in two polished obsidian mirrors.

"What was that about Snively, Tails? What's Snively right about?" the hedgehog asked in a very quiet voice indeed.

"By The Goddesses, what on Mobius is going on in here?" an imperious voice thundered from the direction of the doorway.

Sonic and Sally jumped to their feet as they, along with everyone else, turned to face the unexpected new arrival upon the scene.

King Acorn stood there like an awesome statue, surveying the quite remarkable picture before him with a sweeping gaze. And as he took in every detail, his regal face was darker than a thundercloud to behold. In an uncharacteristically harsh tone, he uttered one word.

"Well?"

"Father…" Sally stammered, knocked for six by this abrupt curveball.

Standing beside His Majesty was a figure of far less stature yet equal esteem to The Freedom Fighters.

Uncle Chuck resisted the temptation to pinch his button nose, "Now is it me or has somebody been ill in here?" he inquired, gagging slightly.

"No way...Unc!" Sonic melted into an ecstatic grin.

Uncle Chuck was so warmed by this glad reception that he gave a hearty laugh, "Howdy doody, Sonny Boy! Sorry to have taken so long! I have been a while coming! Well, I've finally swung by to help reverse-engineer The Roboticizer and seem to have landed smack-bang right in the middle of a good old-fashioned barney!" he chuckled.

Maximillian Acorn raised his eyebrows into an arch, not amused in the slightest. "Well? Do you not intend to answer? According to our people, you have been shrieking like a fish-wife!" he boomed at the squirrel.

"Oh, don't they have anything better to do? This is absolutely none of their business!" Sally muttered, her face reddening in embarrassment.

The King interrupted her, "Wrong, Your Highness, wrong! You are a public figure, inconvenient as that may be! And as such, there is a little thing for someone of your status to observe which is called social grace! To have made such an atrocious spectacle of yourself! Are you not ashamed? I have yet to learn the reason for this disgraceful display! Speak! I shall have an answer or there shall be the devil to…where are you going?"

Tails had just made a bolt for the door. The King was so furious about the behavior of his own daughter that for him to learn of the insolence which had been ventured by some commoner was terrifying to imagine. He collided against the spiny side of Sonic and dodged the tail of His Majesty before escaping into fresh air and freedom.

He did not even glance at the concerned and curious faces of the crowd which had gathered outside. Ignoring every anxious question which was thrown in his direction, the fox ran from the hut with tears staining his white-furred cheeks. In his left shoulder, a sting of pain was burning. A neon-blue spike had become embedded there when he'd collided with Sonic.

Tails looked to the sky above. After everything that had happened, the big wide world no longer seemed so uninviting. He would not head for Boulder Bay nor go anywhere near The Wolf Pack, a place to grieve in silent solitude was all his heart yearned for. There was just one problem, his legs were shaking too greatly to reach the elevator and his paws quivered too badly to even operate it. The twin tails which he had come to detest were all that he had now.

The fox launched into the air and set off for his new life. Not once was he tempted to look back at the hellhole that was Knothole Village.

_Away. Far away._

Maximillian Acorn's clear blue eyes were perplexed as they turned back toward his subjects, "What's the matter with him?" he asked.

Sonic was quivering, almost ripped in half by the indecision now wracking his body. His left foot was itching to take off in pursuit of Tails. His right was inclined to stay where it was to support Sally. And even the feet of the fastest thing alive could hardly go anywhere at all while they were at such odds with each other.

Antoine stood to attention despite the vomit which spattered his uniform. But the perfect posture which his much disciplined body now assumed could not hide the low ebb his spirit had sunk to. The coyote could not help but wonder ruefully whether his own natural clumsiness had somehow served to worsen matters.

Rotor had no idea where to look and resorted in the end to his own bare feet. His gentle heart harbored an uncomfortable suspicion that he might have participated better in the horrendous confrontation with Tails. He knew that it was irrational to blame himself. But that didn't stop him from doing so anyway. And he did.

"Yuh wanna know what's wrong, Yuh Majesty? Ask her!" Bunnie whispered in true bitterness, rubbing at her emerald eyes which overflowed with tears.

The Freedom Fighters turned to stare at one person.

Sally felt their eyes cutting into her like the swords of a wrathful army.

"I've failed. I was given the most important responsibility in the world. And I failed in so many ways." her voice sounded as hollow as an echo rebounding against the walls of a long forgotten chamber.

"Bean, what have you done? For the love of Mobius, tell me!" Maximillian Acorn said softly, still not understanding but knowing that something deadly serious was behind all of this.

Ari's face was scrunched into a look of utmost concentration, "Just so we're clear about this; the kid's mom's dead, right?" the ram concluded, stroking his chin.

* * *

The sun always rose from the east.

It had come accompanied on this particular morning.

A figure crouched in perfect stillness by the edge of the ravine which housed Knothole Village.

A dark stain against the curtains of daylight which had gone unnoticed by even one person due to the drama of Sally and Tails.

It had taken a while to get here but there at long last was the goal of Zero, The Hunter Executioner. The man's hair had grown long and wild during the two week search and yet his eyes retained the gleam of an unwavering predator. And the uncompromised straightness of his face was quite an accomplishment in itself as he watched the talking animals far below. Had any other soldier beheld what he did now, he would have loved to glimpse their resultant expression.

'_It's like a commune for furries!'_ The Hunter Executioner thought with a grin.

A moment later, his derisive expression was ripped away. One of those bipedal beasties was flying out of the ravine. But it wasn't a bird. Nor was it a bat. It was a fox whose ascent seemed to be made possible by twin tails which whirred like propellers. For the first instant since awakening from his long slumber, something had actually proven enough to pierce the human's outer exterior and render him flustered.

'_What the…?'_ Zero thought as he watched the flying fox melt into the dense forest.

In his eyes was the strangest expression.

Then he shook his shaggy-haired head like a dog.

There would be time to think about this later. It was time to get to work and The Hunter Executioner rose to full height. Zero grinned again at the thought of unleashing chaos upon the villagers. The advantage would be his even though he was on their home turf. His mission would be accomplished in a short while and then it would be back to Vice City to see The Hoarse Whisperer again.

Yet his mind was distracted by something else altogether.

Something from the distant past.

_That fox...I've seen him before._

* * *

Happiness and harmony!

Harmony and happiness!

Both one and the same!

Both the same and one!

Oh day of happy harmony!

Oh day of harmonious happiness!

Snively resembled a grotesque novelty pez dispenser as he surrendered to an insanely pleasurable grin. He had originally conceived it several months ago for deployment at the glorious hour when The Freedom Fighters bowed at his feet. An hour which had never come. But he had at last completed the thing he'd been working on for the last couple of weeks.

Which wasn't to say that it was unusually complex in design or function given that it essentially amounted to a mobile light-switch. But he had made it out of the random mechanical parts available for use in Knothole Village. And that in itself was a triumph of sheer effort. He had not lost his edge. Not that he needed to prove it to anyone but being reminded of the fact was a great boost to his self-esteem.

To say that Snively had grown distracted of late would have been a gross understatement.

The dreams had returned to torment him.

Years of fiddling around with machinery had made him almost better disposed toward metal and gears than the air he breathed. Yet every instance his groping fingers had approached a screwdriver recently, it had been just to slink away again in despondency. What had once been his own element now repulsed him like a sea of maggots. The water-wheels which harnessed the perpetual flow of a river now brought to mind the metal valves which had been turned time and again in order to test the reaction of The Subjects to unbearable heat. A thought which had taken away his head for technology more effectively than the descent of a guillotine-blade. As the gentle blue eyes of the vixen stared at him from his memories, every shred of knowledge regarding science burned away like blueprints cast into a furnace. Luckily the sheer tension which had so divided The Freedom Fighters meant that the lapse in his work had gone without notice or reprimand,

Yet still, it irked him.

Snively had done so many foul things in his life that he had genuinely come to believe himself devoid of conscience.

Why then did the memory of the mother fox unsettle him so deeply?

It was a mystery.

And one which the gnomish human had no desire to solve.

She was dead and buried.

Snively had sought with increasing desperation for something to divert his mind from thoughts of the person he had so horrifically wronged. An epic crusade which had been won as his glaring eyes chanced to fall upon a certain unfinished trinket. The device he had been working on just before the Freedom Fighters had returned from their last mission. To finish up on such an innocent machine would be a relaxing mental exercise. And if it served to distract his mind from thoughts of the vixen then so much to the better. The Device had been like a jigsaw of wiring and circuitry.

Now it was finished.

And it was perfect.

Perfection in his pasty palm.

Snively smiled as he looked at it, secure in his feelings of superiority. He knew that he was the most brilliant one of all even if nobody else did. The man's mood was so unusually fabulous that he wouldn't have minded a little company. And this disposition was really all for the best. For as he turned around, a familiar figure came marching in through the door.

"My Tuesday titfer!" Snively cried in welcome, stashing the device in his pocket. "Sonic, old scout! Had you only called in advance, I would have poisoned a cake!"

During many an idle hour, the human had contemplated that the wooden walls of his hut might benefit from a thorough sandpapering. A suspicion quite confirmed as he was grasped by the shoulders and slammed against one of them. The hedgehog's bared teeth were was suddenly inches away from his long nose. As they parted to make way for words, it came dangerously near to being bitten clean off.

"Know what, ya sniveling sidewinder?" Sonic growled from the depths of his throat, "Ya've had this coming for a while now! And guess what? Looks like I'm the one ta finally bring it! Who'd have figured?"

"Mobian trash! Live beyond your next suicide run and it will be to rue this very moment!" Snively hissed like a serpent rearing back in readiness to strike.

"So man, tell me! What did ya say ta Tails? What were ya so right about? Just between you an' me, Kintobor!" Sonic snarled, his gloved paws tightening around the shoulders of the human.

"Sonic! Stop!" cried a frantic voice.

The hedgehog froze in shock as the human looked over his peach-furred shoulder with immense relief

Running through the doorway was none other than Princess Sally.

Sonic ground his teeth in blood-boiling frustration, "Ya gotta be kiddin' me, Sal! After what's gone down…"

Sally's lower lip quivered but she nodded her head firmly, "I am perfectly serious, Sonic. No more violence. There has been too much already." the squirrel princess ordered.

Sonic closed his eyes and engaged in a bitter struggle.

Which his self-control won as he abruptly let go of the human's scrawny shoulders.

The hedgehog backed away and spat on the floor.

"Lucky break, banana nose. Humans, you're all the frickin' same."

Snively made a big show of rubbing down the front of his shirt as though it was now sullied with muddy paw-prints.

He resisted the temptation to say he hoped the hedgehog was going to pay for dry-cleaning.

Snively bestowed a smile of oily gratitude upon the princess, "Ah, Your Highness! At last, a bastion of…" he began to drawl.

"You abhorrent disease of a creature!" Sally seemed to choke on the words she now struggled for, "You have no idea what you have done! I hate you so much! You absolutely sicken me! I wish that we had left you to die in Robotropolis on the night Naugus returned!"

Snively backed against the wall as though forced by a powerful gale wind, "Might I not know the origin of such well-earned revulsion and deep-seated enmity, Your Grace?" he smarmed.

Sally's blue eyes were terrible in their new calmness. "Tails knows everything." her voice was as low as a coffin buried in the cold earth, "Everything you spoke of two weeks ago. Everything that I hid for ten years. And it is killing him. Do you begin to realize how he feels? Can you even come close to understanding what that means?"

Snively's reaction to this news was a pale mask of indefinable emotion, "Tails...knows." he muttered hoarsely before assuming a nonchalant smirk, "Begad! Achilles has ceased to sulk in his tent! Yea verily, the truth cometh out at last! Now tell me, what new development has arisen from this most sense-shattering of plot-twists?"

Sonic stepped forward and a gloved fist flew.

Two blows were struck at that moment.

His clenched knuckles connected hard with the overlong nose of Snively and Snively's bony body touched down hard upon the wooden floorboards.

"Whaddaya know? I just shattered somethin' twisted!" Sonic panted due to the overpowering burst of rage which had just dictated his actions. "Sal, I'm real sorry. I just couldn't take it anymore, ya know?"

Sally's stomach was twisting as she shook over what had just occurred. Yet she did not pass judgment over the hedgehog. The first stone could be cast only by she who was without sin. And her catalogue of wrongdoing had grown quite extensive of late. More extensive perhaps than she would ever be able to atone for during her lifetime. The squirrel would have been sick all over again if not for her hollow belly. The line between right and wrong seemed incomprehensibly blurred now.

'_Sonic punished a man for his wickedness. I punished a boy for his desire for freedom. An enormous difference,'_ she thought bleakly.

Sonic glared down at the sprawling human, "Ya wanna know whassup, huh? Well, I'll tell ya! Tails has gone well and truly off the rails! He said Rotor was as fat as jello an' called Antoine real yellow! He made fun of Bunnie an' didn't wanna punch me! All on account of you, ya damn…man!" he spat, flinging the words in thunderous accusation.

Snively had to wonder whether this little speech had been plagiarized from the esteemed works of Dr Seuss.

"Oh, why not simply give him a bloody good hiding? Never did me any harm!" he grimaced, bracing his back against the wall and making an attempt to rise from the floor.

Sally gave a flinch as guilt seared her from within like fiery sparks. "All of the suffering you have caused! You just don't care!" the squirrel condemned in a thick voice.

She knew what a waste of breath it was. The human did not care. He couldn't care.

Snively rubbed tenderly at his nose, "You are too soft hearted, Princess. A little suffering will do a world of good for the boy. Enable him to grow up with a proper head for the harsh realities of this world." he muttered, wincing as yet another schoolyard flashback reared its hideous head.

"Not into a person like you!" Sally spat with pure hate, almost yearning to take a swing for him herself.

Snively's left eye narrowed into a sliver of self-preserving deviousness, "If that notion brings such anxiety unto you, Your Highness, would it not be most apt that I should try to discourage him from this path?" he suggested in a voice as smooth as black silk.

**End of Chapter**

_Author Notes - Okayyy, two interesting thoughts! _

_1/ While watching the ep "Super Sonic" some time ago, I noticed a certain oddity - when preparing to roboticize Sonic, Snively operates a computer console which states "Dialling"! So like, The Roboticizer functions via the internet? Is this another diabolical plan formulated by Robotnik, should we worry about being roboticized next time we try to check our mail? _

_2/ Snively Pez Dispensers, guys and gals! Come on, ya so would buy em! Now which flavour would be the tastiest, Sour Grape or Crab Apple?_

_I just realised, all of the previous chapter and the beginning of this un are an entire unbroken scene! Out of those I've written, it's gotta be one of the longest! Just so ya know, Scene Three happens a while after Scene One! __Anyhow, must dash off to feed my wombat! Hope that ya enjoyed this, hopefully work shall soon begin on Chapter Fifteen! _

_Keep On Freedom Fightin!_


	17. Caught Like A Fox

_Author Notes - One series of fantasy novels which has never known the popularity it truly deserves; "The Deptford Mice" by Robin Jarvis!! I mean, come on!! Murderous cults, satanic rituals, demon gods!! Black magic, tragic love, armageddon arriving!! __Darkness, despair, death!! All in a series of books written for kids!! Books which have ordinary mice as the main characters!! Just tell me why they aren't better known!!_

_Anyway, onto the latest chapter!! Enjoy!!_

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Under Fire From Heaven; Caught Like A Fox**

Antoine was left to feel disturbed, as were the other Freedom Fighters – having witnessed the complete meltdown of a friendship, they were more than a little entitled. After that blazing confrontation, fresh air tasted sweet – yet to the coyote, this was small relief only. Since being asked to withdraw from the hut of Her Highness, he had walked until those boots seemed to ache – heeding neither this irritation nor the stares of villagers, Antoine strove to keep up with his own mind.

Despite a sterling effort to keep it focused, the very same now flew in several directions…

_Tails_…the heart of the coyote was ripped asunder by the thought of the fox. There was a cub who now endured truly incredible suffering, not a shred of doubt could have been entertained. Yet nor for the pain _he_ had inflicted upon _others_, was there the faintest of _excuses_…

Unbidden though it was, back came the memory. When he was still a young pup, his whole world had turned upside down – for due to the involvement of his father in The Great War, the coyote had been whisked away from the Delmont Province. Mobotropolis had seemed such a bizarre place, an adjustment made no easier by the other children – drawn like flies by his accent, they had bullied him without quarter. Until a certain rabbit had forced them to stop, her sweet exterior masking an unexpected ferocity…

For much of his life, that had embarrassed him so. Yet here and now, the humiliation slipped away. That hounding had come to seem so meaningless, compared to what must now fester inside Tails…

_Princess Sally_…the turmoil consuming her, he quailed to imagine. That the squirrel had carried such a burden for so many years, the coyote still hardly began to believe . Yet there remained the fact she had lied, deceived those whom had always trusted in her. Though he yearned to support her, he could not overlook her conduct...

Like clearest day, another important memory – the formal ball he had attended, the person he had met there. It had begun with the appearance of Rosie, standing at the top of that marble stairway – with the most grand paw gesture, she had introduced somebody _very special_. As a figure stepped into the light, the lingering murmurs had died away instantly – Princess Sally had radiated captivating beauty even at the age of five, clad in an azure gown and adorned by a warm smile. No other would ever come close to her, Antoine had been certain beyond the shadow of doubt…

There the squirrel had remained for ten years, placed upon the pedestal of his undying adoration. Only recently had she come down, another stepping up to take her place. And now he saw her through eyes unclouded, Antoine realised Sally was not some embodiment of perfection. Just like countless others before her, she had committed many great mistakes. And due to her sense of shame, she had not sought the help of friends…

As for _the_ _third direction_ in which went his scattering thoughts…

Antoine came to an abrupt halt, very nearly tripping over his feet – the air felt so cool against that cheek, he now realised where they had taken him. The coyote had visited the pool almost every day of that last decade, yet felt now as though he had not been there for centuries – that surface had been broken so many times by a gold ring, yet now lay still as though in the grip of bitter winter. As this depressing train of thought entered the station that was his heart, Antoine was more than a little ready to invest in a ticket – his ears then pricked up in response to a sound, a sound which ended early that journey into misery. Antoine listened hard for it, his brow furrowing in concentration – it was beyond doubt a sniff, a sniff of pain without end.

And as they fell upon the source, those eyes widened in utmost dismay…

"...Mademoiselle Bunnee?"

From her place on that almost sacred log, Bunnie looked up with a gasp of surprise – as mismatched paws were lowered from that face, tears shone like pearls in an open clamshell. "_Antoine_…" the rabbit murmured in answer, her voice never less steady – ashamed to hear it shake so, she struggled for one more nonchalant. "…Ah didn't _see yuh_ there! How yuh _holdin up_, sweet cheeks?"

Antoine barely heard the question, so great was his concern – with the greatest care he had ever taken, the coyote approached that rendezvous of kindred spirits. "_Mademoiselle_ _Bunnee_…why are you to weep?" he came to a stop near the log, wanting yet not daring to sit beside her – he looked long upon the pain etched into her face, his own hardening in a way she had never seen. "Thees ees een regardeeng to _Tails_, non? When he ees returned, I shall _eenseest_ zat he …"

Bunnie shook that head, gulping back the tears. "Ah wasn't _thinkin_ about _Tails_, sugah…well, Ah _was_ but not _only_ him." she said in response, her tone now bleak. "Yuh shouldn't hold against him what he said, _Ah_ most assuredly _don't_...he was jest _hurt_ n _scared_, darlin. But _one_ o those things he said…_did_ hit a sore nerve." as she spoke, her head bowed – she had arrived in painful territory, a fact betrayed by her voice. "Matter o _fact_…Ah've been thinkin about mah _pa_." she looked up again, her eyes now wide. "_Antoine_, what the _hoo_-_haw_ are yuh…?"

"Oui, Mademoiselle?" Literally moved by words of sadness, coyote reached for rabbit. Paw of flesh lifted paw of metal, gentle enough to belong to an angel. Furry mouth brushed against lifeless fingers, a warmth that surpassed the sunrise. "Circumstance of _truth_, _I_ have being theenkeeng of eet as well!"

"Aw Antoine, yuh sweetah than the ol _sugah mine_ Sonic nevah did find!" Bunnie began to giggle, the pain somewhat eased - her body aquiver with mirth, she tweaked that paw free. "But yuh got it a _lil twisted_, darlin! Ah didn't mean _mah paw_, Ah was talkin about _mah pa_!" as confusion spread over his face, she let those emerald eyes roll. "_Mah pa_, Antoine, _mah pa_! _Yuh know_, as in _mah daddy_!"

"Dans la lueur _de l'éclaircissement_, je comprends _votre signification_!" Antoine gasped as understanding dawned, lips forming pinprick of surprise - the coyote had never been less sure how to feel, embarrassed by his own gaff or delighted by her laugh. "Please be to _forgeeve me_, Bunnee! Eet ees jus zat I am not knoweeng zat you are haveeng _zee father_!"

"Ah guess yuh _nevah did_ meet him, darlin. The Great War had jest started when yuh first _met me_, hadn't it?" she looked at the rippling water, her smile fading away once more. "Seein as he was a _big thinkah_ for the army, he was sort o _tied up_ n all."

Antoine longed to kick himself over this blundering intrusion, Bunnie must have been grieving for her beloved father. Who would not miss one so gallant, so dedicated to the protection of his homeland...

Bunnie gazed at the water, the reflection within mocking her. "He...nevah forgave me." by a rain of sorrow, fresh ripples now were made.

"_Comment_?" Antoine blinked at the rabbit, greatly startled by that remark – like ivy on a wall, confusion spread across his face. "What was there to be _forgeeveeng_, Mademoiselle?"

Bunnie looked up into his eyes, her own now filled with tears. "Me bein born _a_ _girl_, Antoine. Loyalty t The King, loyalty t _the end_. My pa was a patriot, _a Mobian_ t the core. He wanted a son t _carry on_ that tradition…n what he got instead was_ lil me_." as the coyote stared, the rabbit sighed deeply. "Cos o _that_…life wasn't so _happy_ for me. Ah could feel his _disappointment_…everah day in that _house_. Ah tried so verah _hard_ t make him _proud_…even by goin in for _martial arts_ trainin." her eyes seemed to glaze over, those tears a film of vast grief. "Only that didn't please him _either_…it jest made him go _crazy_. He yelled that Ah was a girl…that Ah was only good for _sittin around n lookin pretty_. If Ah couldn't even do _that_ right…Ah was a _complete_ failuh." an old wound which still hurt like hell, ripped open by the taunt of a cub. "Tails didn't _mean_ what he said…but Ah can't stop thinkin he was _right_. Ah _need_ the _strength_ these metal parts give me…but Ah _want_ mah _own_ bod back as well. End o the day, Ah guess _Ah'm scared_. If Ah evah _get_ t go back t normal, Ah won't be able t _fight_ with ya'll anymore. What will ya'll _think_ o me then, that Ah'll be a _load_ on ya'll? That really _worries_ me, yuh know…cos before Ah met ya'll, Ah nevah knew what _real_ family was." raising both those paws, she gazed at them. "Maybe Tails n Ah ought t begin some sort o _club_, cos Ah jest don't know who Ah really _am_…or which is moah messed up, mah _bod_ or mah _brain_!"

"You fear zat _we_ would all be like _heem_, zat _I_ would treat you as _he_ deed? _Never_, I am _swearing_ eet! Not by my honour as zee _Royal Guard_…not by my honour as zee _Freedom Fighter_…but by my honour as zee coyote _een love_!" Antoine stepped around the log, descending now upon one knee – the coyote gazed into those eyes, his fierce face surprising the rabbit. He reached this time for both those paws, comforting she who had dismembered a fearsome SWATbot – it was a moment never known before then, she could not believe that it had been kindled by he. "_Rabbeet_ or _robot_, _macheen_ or _Mobian_…more than _freedom_, more than even _life eetself_…_I am_ _loveeng you_, _Bunnee_!"

Bunnie was lost for words, overwhelmed by this sudden declaration – it was so much more beautiful than a thousand pages of poetry, so much more enchanting than a sonnet sung by The Goddesses. "_Antoine_...yuh _can't_ be in love with _me_! Yuh...Ah..." it did not lie within the realm of possibility, no more than a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow - she had flirted with most boys in the village, yet never dreamed that real love could be hers.

Bunnie tilted back her head, as though under some trance...those ears draped against it, everything simply _melting_ around her. Antoine eased his own face nearer, the happiest coyote on the _planet..._as gentle breath blew against his face, it was a trial to catch his _own_. The wait was now beyond physical endurance, barely an _inch_ separating their lips…and as chance saw fit to ensure, it may as well have been _miles_.

Bunnie lurched forward abruptly, emerald eyes now wide. "_Oh_ _mah s_…oof!" the exclamation was cut short, her nose bumping against his.

Antoine was sent stumbling back, gingerly rubbing at the same – if his desire for her was insatiable, _her_ desire for _him_ must be _uncontrollable_. "Mademoiselle, I was not being _quite ready_…" the coyote began in admonishment, still keen for another go.

Bunnie bounded from that log, shaking fuzz from her mind. "_Antoine_, will yuh jest look up _there_?" she gasped in urgency, pointing at the sky.

Antoine followed that direction to the letter, though wary of it being some joke. "Sacra _bleu cheese_ on sacra _burnt toast_!" rather than being dabbed on the chin, he realised that here was no laughing matter.

Far over the heads of coyote and rabbit, coursed something like a spear born from light. Before eyes filled with pure astonishment, it came down within the village. Vermillion wrath erupted from that spot, soon followed by a terrified chorus...

"For me n yuh, there'll be _time_ _latuh_…" Bunnie shook off the manacles of incredulity, ready for the leap into swift action. Taking his paw in her own, she roused him to motion. Whether that of metal or that of flesh, she had no idea nor did she care. "…but at this lil minute, yuh n Ah _are needed_!"

"_Oui_, Bunnee, _oui_!" Antoine met those eyes, face fierce once more - already in stride with the rabbit, the coyote growled in sheer determination. "Let us geeve our _all_, for zee sake of _Knothole_!"

Toward the source of chaos, they flew like the wind – the exact nature of it, they weren't long in discovering. The thatched roof of a hut was now in flames, an inferno sparked by whatever had fallen from the sky – rabbit and coyote prayed nobody had been inside, that they were staring at no funeral pyre. Several of the villagers were drawn to the blaze, every last face filled with shock by the spectacle - then an elderly vole spun upon her heel, blasting rabbit and coyote with a glare of greater intensity.

"_You people_ did it!" Mrs Campagnol shrieked in their faces, withered paws in quivering fists. "This is _your fault_!"

Bunnie fired a glare right back, surprise giving way to affront. "_What_ did yuh jest _say_?" her hackles were up, raised by that accusation.

"Don't play innocent with _us_, _you_ heard what I said!" Mrs Campagnol bared those teeth, practically feral in her hysteria. "_The_ _Princess_ and you _other people_, _you all_ mistreated the _Kitsune Fox_! You have brought it down on _our heads_, the wrath of _The Goddesses_!

Bunnie struggled to remain in control of her own anger, those ears now flattening for an altogether different reason. "If yuh weren't so _old_, _Grandmamma_…" she spat as though those words were mega muck, another kind of fire sparking behind those emerald eyes.

That threat was perhaps fortunately interrupted, disrupted by the renewal of panic - Bunnie dragged those eyes from that elderly face, casting them instead to the sky far above. To the dismay of the rabbit, even the heavens offered no sanctuary - descending into the unready village, another tongue of greedy flame. In the passing of mere moments, a second hut was being devoured - cries and wails of alarm issued from the crowd, villagers scattering like ants from a magnifying glass.

"The evil _sorcerer_, it is _he_!" Mr Dachs cried out, voice full of dread. "He has _found_ our _village_, he intends to _destroy_ us _all_!"

Antoine glanced toward the badger, a stern frown upon his face. "Do not be _sayeeng_ zees theengs, you are onlee _worryeeng_ evereebodee!" this dismissive comment should have reassured them all, yet could not produce the ring of truth.

Bunnie could feel that heart leap up into her mouth, the most sickening fear ever known to the rabbit. _Oh mah stars...it can't be! _Ixis Naugus discovering the location of their hidden home, that was something she did not wish to imagine.

"Then it is still _their fault_, the fault of those _Freedom Fighters_! Because they trespassed within _his land_, we too shall suffer the vengeance of _the sorcerer_!" Mrs Campagnol screamed in terrible epiphany, growing more irrational by the second. "And that _little brat_, he is _no Kitsune_! He is naught but a _devil_, he has brought evil upon _Knothole_!"

"Mademoiselle, please be to _composeeng yourself_!" Antoine felt _so_ like that blazing roof, the flames might have instead engulfed _him_. "Onlee two weeks ago, you were _praiseeng us_!"

"_Yuh shut_ that yap!" Bunnie whirled toward the vole, more furious now than ever - knowing she must stop this, the rabbit gave a hiss. "Or Ah'll _make yuh_!"

If something was shouted _long_ enough, it _might_ well be believed eventually…

Mrs Campagnol burst into laughter, unhinged completely by this point. "And _you_ are no _different_, _you_ are just like _him_!" she pointed a trembling finger, that voice now cracking hideously. "Since _you_ came back like _that_, _you_ have been one of _them_!" to bring home the point, she flicked that cybernetic limb. "This is why that _horrible_ _machine_ was brought here, so that you can make us the _same way_!"

Bunnie stepped back from her, both shoulders hunched in warning. "Don't yuh _dare_ touch me!" she gave a low whisper, that voice one of danger.

Antoine now moved forward, coming to stand beside Bunnie – the voice he used now, _none_ ever had _heard_. "_Zat_ _ees_ _enough_, _Mademoiselle_." as a member of the royal guard, his duty was to keep the peace – should another villager have moved against the rabbit, the coyote would have gone _above_ and _beyond_ its call.

"_Admit it_, _you demoness_!!" many villagers now backed away, save for the ranting vole. "_You bitch_, _admit it_!!"

A paw was raised, a slap now delivered – the twist in that tale, neither was done by Bunnie. Mrs Campagnol was sent reeling back, prevented from collapsing by Mr Dachs – while the badger supported the vole, everybody gawped at the one responsible.

Rosie breathed deeper than ever she had, her paw still tingling from that slap – though the woodchuck had not _wanted_ to do it, it was something that had _needed_ to be done. In her haste to investigate that fiery flash, she had come to witness an ugly scene – and for the sake of Bunnie, Rosie had stepped in very quickly. Rosie turned those eyes from that vole, getting to grips with the situation at paw. His Majesty and Her Highness were at the other side of the village, presently having a most serious discussion rooted in deeds past and misdeeds present – this the nanny had learned upon returning from The Great River, having at last managed to wash the sweaty blanket of Tails.

Beneath that coat of tawny fur, flesh had turned to palest white – the woodchuck had desired to help the unhappy fox, not imagining what her intervention would drive him to. As the feeling of responsibility gnawed her heart, she struggled to put it out of mind – there would be a time and place, this was neither one nor the other. Just what was going on here, she did not know – that it must be stopped quickly, she knew well indeed. And for that to happen, somebody must now take charge…

Rosie looked around at the tense people, meeting each set of eyes in turn. "Fetch water from the river, bring the most you can! Unless the flames are all quenched, the village will be burnt down!" the woodchuck relayed these commands with an air of efficiency, a manner picked up over several years spent raising children.

For the longest of moments, everybody simply stared at her – many of them then leapt into action, as if by some sort of magic. Half charged toward that distant shore, others running for buckets and basins – pausing only to grin in support of Rosie, Mr Dachs turned to lead away Mrs Campagnol.

"_Vraiment magnifique_, mademoiselle! You are displayeeng zee speereet worthee…" As Antoine remembered painful memories recently shared, those words became stuck in that craw – not all military servicemen were good people, Bunnie had lived and learnt that. "…zee speereet of a _true Mobian_, I am meaneeng to say!"

"_Bunnie_, what is this I have heard about _Miles_?" Rosie broached the uncomfortable subject, her brow wrinkling in concern. "To mistreat everybody he holds _dear_, I cannot _imagine_ him behaving so!"

Bunnie bit that lip of hers, no idea what she ought say – as another sizzling whoosh filled her ears, she was relieved of any such need.

Antoine watched the arrival of it, this third shaft of flaming destruction – as that next straw roof ignited, his eyes suddenly became quite blank.

"Zat hut now toasteeng like zee _marshmallow_…eesn't eet zat of _Tails_?"

Bunnie could feel that heart ache as they withered in the thrall of flames, the curtains hung for fear that the cub might go cold when came wintertime. "It is, sugah, it is." the rabbit whispered, her voice sorrowful. "_Thank Mobius_ he wasn't…Antoine, where _yuh goin_?!"

Antoine had no answer for the rabbit, the coyote was no longer beside Bunnie – he had broken into a run, his obvious destination the burning hut. He yanked off the coat, his paw flinging it aside – that doorway from which gushed smoke, those eyes were focused wholly upon. From the ordeal now ahead, he refused back down – should it cost his very life, the coyote swore to face this.

_I cannot be runneeng from thees, cannot be zee yellow coyote now! I must be brave as zee mother fox, must be zee true Mobian just like Rosee!_

"_Antoine_, _Tails ain't in there_!!" as he ran full speed toward that deathly doorway, a scream of terror slipped past the lips of Bunnie - she cried out in desperation, her legs beginning to move. "_Antoine_, _come back_!!"

_Ah won't let yuh go, not now Ah've found yuh! No mattah what it takes, Ah won't let yuh die!_

Rosie was left to stand as though petrified, horrified by what she was forced to witness – the return of villagers now armed with water, the woodchuck did not so much as acknowledge. The nanny was unable to do anything more than watch, watch as the coyote and the rabbit faded into that hellish glow. And as both were taken by flames, the full reality of it hit home – resisting the paws which grasped her, she gave a howl of loss.

_I watched them grow up, they can't really be…_

"_Antoine_, _Bunnie_!! _Noooo_!!"

* * *

_Whattin the name of Mobius…?!_

Sonic stopped dead in his tracks, casting a look over that shoulder – at what they saw now, his eyes widened in shock. That anything could distract him from thoughts of Tails and Sally, the hedgehog had found pretty difficult to imagine – as flames rained down upon the village, that conviction was shattered into a million pieces. As of the first crimson streak, his mouth was open and his wits scattered – as of the second, it was closed and they were gathered. And as of the third, his eyes scanned the horizon without blinking – no mind did he pay the resultant chaos, instead bent upon the menacing source. Out of the ravine, that piercing gaze rose – upon the west edge, it was soon fixated.

Had distant shadow failed to confirm it, echoing laughter certainly would have done so...

"_Ladybird, ladybird_!! _Fly away home_!! _Your house is on fire and your children are gone_!! _Yahaha_!! _Yahahahaha_!! _Yahahahahahahaaa_!!"

Sonic narrowed those eyes, pupils drops of chagrin. The dreaded hour was come, the enemy had found Knothole - as he faced that greatest catastrophe, furry muzzle was crossed by affront. _Whoever he is, he's crackin jokes? Who's he think he is, me or what? _The log elevator would take forever, needing several people to help raise – the side of that ravine, that would suit the purpose. As daredevil hedgehog prepared for this stunt, two voices cried out from close by.

"You spotted him too, huh?" Ari ground to a halt, chest heaving for breath – though the ram puffed, his eyes were steady. "I'm going with you, Sonic!"

"Me too…you guys! Let's head…for the…new elevator!" Rotor seemed about to keel over, sprint now taking its natural toll - his voice came in hoarse waves, almost hoarse enough to rival Naugus. "Why didn't we…set the old…one back up?"

Sonic swung back toward that rock face, that hedgehog face now almost as hard. "_Real sorry_, buds bodacious!" along with that mouth, those legs now moved – running on the spot, they built up speed. "But this calls for quick action, _quick_ kinda bein the main _word_! Jus make sure ya _stand back_, cuz this is gonna be..."

"Sonic! Wait!"

Running over to the scene, none other than Uncle Chuck - just like the respectful nephew, the hedgehog strove for patience. _Avoid_ running headlong into danger, he expected the stern warning - when the roboticized hedgehog spoke, Sonic remembered who this _was_.

"You can _do it_, Sonny Boy!" Uncle Chuck gave the thumbs up, along with the most encouraging grin. "Go gettim, then come back for a _chilidog roast_ like no other!"

Sonic returned both grin and gesture, thankful for that vote of confidence. "I can...cuz I gotta, Unc." _An I gotta...cuz ya believe in me. _"Up over…_aaan gooone_!!"

Before they could resound, those words were outrun. For the duration of thirty fleeting seconds, he streaked toward that distant rock face – each step of the way, wind swished through his quills. For the duration of the _next_ thirty seconds, he raced up the _side_ of the same – he felt every bone shake, those feet conquering natural wall. As an entire minute matured, he had reached the top – he somersaulted through the air, as though part of it.

Feeling ground beneath those sneakers, Sonic glanced around in readiness – and made the weirdest discovery, danger was nowhere in view. Confusion spreading over that breathless muzzle, he gazed from right to left – in the woodland environment, nothing seemed obviously amiss. His nerve was wearing thin, the silence slowly eroding it – at the ravine edge, he had expected action. A fight to the bitter finish, lethal tag played among those trees – whatever might possibly have awaited, anything cooked up by Naugus. Nothing this _plain creepy_...

_Okay, somethin better happen real…?!_ As leaves rustled nearby, his ears tingled madly – he took this for evidence of motion, yet it could have been the wind. _C'mon, somethin a little more…?! _Reacting to another disturbance, his eyes darted around – if he just knew for sure, this wouldn't be so deeply unnerving. _Show yaself, ya sonuva…?!_

The sky seemed to collapse, crashing down upon the forest...

Sonic went reeling back as though punched, dazed by that which he saw now – he stopped short of that edge, those senses returning in a flash. During first few seconds, hedgehog had seemed alone – as the figure dropped into sight, this illusion was now torn aside. Sonic had expected to face some deadly machine, maybe even the sorcerer in person – by that which came instead, the hedgehog was sense shattered.

"Aw man..." Sonic was able to give a gasp, throat like the most barren of deserts. "…_a man_!!"

He had believed to know them all, that _another_ existed was a nasty surprise...

"_Antsy_ bunch, _aren't_ they? A _person_ is _smart_..." Like hide made into some grotesque mask, fiendish grin covered the face of Zero – tucked snugly under an arm of leather encased muscle, the bow just improvised from vine and branch. Gesturing with that other arm, he indicated the village below - The Hunter Executioner recommenced, grin stretching yet further. "..._people_ are _stupid_. The question on _my_ mind, do you _count_ as people?"

Sonic glared at the human, eyes narrowing in growing anger – this one was like the rest, wherever he might have come from. "Who the heck are ya?" he growled those words, mainly as a distraction – the hedgehog was ready to move, when the chance came his way.

"_Z_-_E_-_R_-_O_ and _Zero_ was his feckin _name_-_o_. The Hunter Executioner." pounding fist against torso, the man introduced himself – he too was ready for action, casual stance belying tense muscles. "I hunt, I execute. _Beardy weirdy_ sent me, swell to _meet ya_!"

"_Sonic_ the _Hedgehog_!" Sonic was now panting heavily, though he had regained breath – having just attempted to destroy the village, this scum now saw fit to mock. Whatever this could mean, it didn't yet matter – take the enemy down and ask questions later, such seemed like the best way to go. "I _lock on_, I _kick_ _tail_!"

And as one, they both _moved_. Sonic moved, _hurling_ his body through the air – his intent, _slice_ the caps of those knees. Zero moved, _swinging_ that powerful leg in a roundhouse kick – his aim, _catch_ that furball in mid attack. The _stakes_, both were much aware to – the _victor_, this quick draw would reveal. And that victor, winner of those stakes…none other than Zero, The Hunter Executioner.

Sonic received a blow to the gut, all air driven out of his lungs – his vision dominated by a taunting grin, aborted spin was banished from that mind. The strength knocked right out of his body, the hedgehog was claimed by that waiting abyss - having played with them minutes ago, the wind now lashed cobalt quills. As he whirled through nothingness, the sound reached those ears – it was the scream of one recently alienated, she whose heart now filled with unendurable anguish.

"_Sonic_…_Soniiiiic_!!"

* * *

Since returning to firm ground, he had run without pause – his had been the path of unswerving straightness, it mattering little which direction was now chosen. He had moved until abandoned by every particle of air, bracken clinging to fur and brambles ripping into flesh – with no idea of the distance traversed, he fell at last to those quivering knees. Those paws followed soon after, bracing him against hard ground – they supported his heaving body, right paw gloved and left paw bare.

For what seemed like many years, he remained down on all fours. Even as lungs burned in agony, pain of another kind filled him. Wrongs others had done him, the bitter dregs of resentment he refused to cast away. Wrongs _he_ had done _others_, the smouldering embers of shame he just could not quench. Both congealed inside his throat, hardening into a solid lump. Almost a stone infused with magical power, that to render him a weeping husk.

Bunnie, emerald eyes so wide with hurt she might as well have been stabbed through the heart…Bunnie, silken lips forming lovely smile as she tried to conquer gulf of unbearable pain with bridge of pure love. Sally, face filled with grim determination as she prepared to beat out wickedness like dust from hanging rug…Sally, voice clearer than flowing river as she tried to ease one loved more than life back from brink of utter despair.

So many thoughts and so many feelings, most standing in perplexing contradiction to each other – an agonising morass which threatened to engulf him, like the swamp in which he had been born. Closing those eyes of bloodshot blue, he tried to shut it all away behind the door of memories forgotten – such was the place for them, they could only be burdens on the journey he now must take. The journey longer than all others, the journey with no possible destination...

He had vowed to leave, should Sally actually cane him…regardless the deep fear it brought him, he would not go back on that. Even should the nerve of the fox fail, Sally had said she no longer gave a damn…and despite her shamed retraction of it, she must have meant the declaration. Knothole was closed to him, nothing remained there for him…he must go far away, he had to begin anew. He had to…he must…he…

"…might as well be _dead_." he now said aloud, unable to remain silent – the convinction growing stronger with each word, he went on speaking to the air. "I could kill myself right now and _nobody_…"

"But how _interesting_, Tails! Tell me, how _will_ you do it?"

Tails snapped out of the reverie, wincing to hear that loathed voice. "_You_!" he spat that one word, glaring around at the interloper.

Snively raised that colourless eyebrow, his tongue greedily removing butter from the warm scone his hand had surreptitiously removed from the window sill of Rosie. "Oh _my_!" he feigned a cluck of offense, sucking dry those unusually tasty lips. "Not feeling particularly _civil_ on this fine morn, are we?"

What with such clear evidence of disturbance the fox had left in his wake, the human had found it of surprising ease to track down his quarry…

Tails had been in the throes of complete emotional breakdown, certain that there could be no room for fresh anger in his heart – as the root of his suffering munched homemade pastry, the fox was proven utterly wrong on that count. "How do you get _that_? I've had a _grand_ day so far! Make that a grand couple of _weeks_!" he began to turn, rising from the ground – in his eyes ringed by scratches and stains, hostility at odds with those drawled words. "Turns out, my mom's _dead_! Turns out, I'm a _mutant_! Turns out, my so-called aunt's a big-ass _liar_! Come on, how could it possibly get any better than _this_?"

Snively relished a mouthful of buttery succulence, while formulating an answer to that question. "By the mutated pride and joy…of the gone and long forgotten vixen…receiving an _old fashioned whacking_ from the not-so-frank aunt? On an unrelated note, _mmm_-_mmm_…this is a _tantalising scone_, if you don't mind my _saying so_!" he held out a clammy palm, offering annexed snack to unfriendly vulpine. "Bite?"

Tails battled an urge to shove pastry up nose, vaguely observing how swollen the latter was. "You _know_." his voice flatter than any could imagine, the fox asked no tentative question but made a positive statement.

"Do I know that _you_ know...what Her Highness desired you _not_ to know?" Snively swallowed what remained of the scone, raising both eyebrows as though in salute of its final descent - it vanished down the path leading to that boniest belly, as though broken down by some secreted venom. "Yes, I _know_…and have the bloody nose to ensure that I do not _forget_."

"Who…" Tails was unable to resist asking, despite the inferno inside his gut - those teeth failed to go for that most _deserving_ nose, why being a mystery he could not _start_ to resolve. "...did that to you?"

"Quite like yourself, I met with their brand of rough justice. Shortly after your melodramatic revelation, I was honoured by a visit from that barbaric hedgehog as well as Her Self Righteousness." Snively gave the most dismissive of sniffs, impressive given the dried blood now clogging his nose. "As even you must have wits to deduce, they regaled me with the full account of that little scene. Thereby leaving me with no doubt in regard to two conclusions, firstly that all of the good things happen while I am _not present_ and secondly that I was in a most _adverse predicament_…"

Tails lacked patience to listen or fake otherwise, "_What_ _did Sonic and_ _Sally_ _do_?" the words were like gravel scraping across metal.

Snively spread wide those hands, adopting an expression of injury. "I offered to _talk_ some _sense_ back into you, intent _purely_ upon _redeeming_ myself! _Their_ _reaction_, to rouse a _mob_ intent upon _driving_ me out of Knothole! _Gardeners_ wielding _pitch-forks_, _wives_ brandishing _rolling-pins_, _even children_ banging together _pots_ and _pans_! _Such_ a _spectacle_, I _never_ did _see_! Well, I actually _did_…I was _there_, after all!" that pair of reptilian eyes regarded the wary young vulpine, their pupils slivers of ice as they scrutinised him. "Now here I am…and here _you_ are. And I am forced to concede…that it was _you_ who had it correct."

Tails could only stare at the human, having been about to roll those eyes. "_What_?" he asked in blankness, surprised by that remark.

Snively oozed nearer to the cub, his first move since establishing contact. "You were right, _I_ was _wrong_." the human looked at the fox in re-evaluation, whimsically echoing an admission made two weeks prior. "They _did_ _indeed_ treat us the same in the end. They _beat us_ when our actions displeased…"

Tails shook his head violently, though the denial came late. "Sally didn't _mean_ to hurt me like that, she only wanted to teach me a _lesson_!" the fox couldn't believe his own words, words in defence of the hateful squirrel. "And she _regretted_ doing it too, wished she could take it _back_!"

_She did…didn't she?_

"Yet still she _did_, Tails. Now then, there is no reason to be _ashamed_. From what I have _heard_, you took it as a _man_. It was _she_ who had not the stomach to follow it through, in a sense most _literal_!" Snively cut across this stream of objection, continuing to speak in that sinuous voice - judging by that greasy smirk, this was a compliment indeed. "And even _there_, does it end? I think _not_, my young friend! Because of those who dared call themselves friends to you, you have also been forced to _leave_…"

"No..._no_!" Tails could not let this insinuation pass without challenge, greatly though having been called strong pleased his ego - that voice rang in protest, protest maybe far too great. "I don't _want_ to _be_ there anymore…but it wasn't like _they_ didn't want me _around_!"

_I don't…do I?_

"Little more than another feeble _illusion_, desperation to protect already fractured innocence. Though none had heart to send you from them, none went out of their way to _prevent_ your departure. No more than they love my own, is your troublesome presence something they _desire_. The sole difference from my own predicament, they needed not to drive _you_ away."

Tails narrowed his eyes in defiance, standing up against those of Snively – if even one word of that was so, the fox would never surrender to the human. "Other than that _nose_ of yours, is there a _point_ to any of this?" there had been too many lies, truth was no longer possible to recognise – deceit had been spun since his very birth, it was possible he had never known reality.

"You love _old stories_, is it not true? Be sure that you pay attention, for I have a _good one_!" Snively looked as the snake about to strike, a cold smile upon that face of his – Tails yearned to run away, yet could not even turn. "Once upon a time, there was _a fox_. And not just any old fox, _one envied_ by all the rest. For he had taken a wife, the _loveliest vixen_ for miles around. Each day was _pure heaven_ for the fox…that was how it appeared to his neighbours." the human seemed less like Bilbo Baggins, more like the slimy creature called Gollum. "One lesson _we all_ endure, my young and naïve friend…if things seem too good to be true, it is highly likely that they _are not_. Wherever roamed the vixen bride, eyes of _desire_ were turned. And with each instance, matrimonial bliss turned _sourer_."

"The fox could not even sleep, unease slowly _eating_ _up_ his heart. Whether his wife was _truly loyal_, such was all he could ponder. As doubt grew ever stronger, a plan _most cunning_ formed." to his own great surprise, he was actually enjoying this. "In order to test her faithfulness, he would pretend to _fall dead_. No sooner than the _following day_, this was just what he did. As the sound of _mournful wailing_ filled his ears, it seemed that the suspicion had proven entirely unfounded. Yet as he prepared to end the charade, there came a _knock_ upon the _door_."

"The visitor proved to be a fox more handsome than he, one whom came to propose _marriage_ to the supposedly bereaved vixen. With her husband not yet even buried, the vixen leapt to _accept_ this proposal. Though his distrust was _vindicated_, the fox _waited_ before acting. While that hate continued to _fester_ within him, he waited for the moment to be _right_." much more than while reading to his sick sister, he had warmed to the nature of this tale. "And on the day of the _wedding_, he _revealed_ himself to the unfaithful bride. He _ate her alive_, my dear lad. And _vengeance tasted sweet_, believe you me. The morale of this story; 'live' is 'evil' spelt backward."

"Tails, no, _Miles_…you and I are so very alike, similar in ways neither of us _realised_. Though it may not you, it strikes _me_ like _lightning_…we could prosper so, you _and_ I _together_. As the world disillusions us both at every single turn, shall we not _work_ as one to _correct_ its imperfections? Just think about the sheer possibilities, _your_ _fledgling skills_ and _my superior intellect_. With both merged into one will, _you and I_ could _remake this planet_!"

"You want me to…" Tails was wide eyed and open mouthed, his mind sent reeling by those words. "You're saying I should…"

…_help take over Mobius?!_

Snively extended a pale palm, continuing still to smile coldly. "Friends?" he crooned in a manner most tempting, staring into those eyes of blue.

_Time to discover just what you are made of, Prower…_

Tails stared at the hand, contemplating the pact it represented. And as he did so, pictures flashed through his mind. Bunnie, reaching out for a one-armed hug…Rotor, turning to pat an orange shoulder good-naturedly…Antoine, nodding that head in warm regard…Sonic, running over to initiate a high-five...Sally, leaning in to deliver the funny-kiss…

If the reading of minds was possible, Snively seemed to do so now. "Forget Aunt Sally and Aunt Bunnie, forget cousin Rotor and cousin Antoine, forget all about big brother Sonic. They never truly wanted you, they are lost to you. _Forget them all_. Put aside the cub nobody wanted, unleash what was always locked inside. Take your…" his voice seemed to fail, confronted by something within himself – overcoming whatever it might have been, that voice became smooth once more. "…_take your rightful place by my side_!"

Tails struggled to reject those words, his ears flattening under sheer pressure. "My mother died the day I was born…_and you did that_! My mother died before I could even know her…_and you did that_! " that voice was a feral growl, the purest essence of complete hatred.

Snively seemed unfazed by this accusation, his smile spreading if anything whatsoever. "Never say _hello_, never say _goodbye_." that hand came closer to the fox, the human practically insisting it be taken. "You must bury the _past_, else it will bury _you_."

Tails clenched his teeth, never having breathed faster. "I'm not…_like you_! I'm..._not_!" the fox only just managed, voice a pant of effort.

"You _don't say_, feller me lad! And yet wait, I _hear otherwise_! If your words ring with _truth_, explain those you addressed to _Rabbot_!" Snively spoke with great relish, as though delivering positive critique. "I say this with _rare sincerity_, I could not have _done better_! Though you _hate_ me so _much_, I am _all_ you _have_! _Take_ me or _leave_ me, _yours_ is the _choice_!"

Tails fought for the ability of speech, the paw of horror clutching his throat – though the inside of his stomach was scalded by fury, the fear of being alone turned his blood to ice. "I can't…I don't…" an earthquake seemed to rend that heart, that heart consumed by the flames of anguish – he did not know what to say, had no idea who he was anymore.

Mere seconds later, all became irrelevant...

That natural ceiling formed by the trees split asunder, the work of a force from beyond that environment. The fox witnessed its descent, that flash of crimson light. What he had not was the chance to move aside, a lapse which brought the most splitting headache. Leading to an unpleasant collision with the harsh ground, making way in turn for a rush of darkness.

_Sallyyy…_

As the cub keeled over, Snively drew back in alarm. That spiralling wave of energy, the human would never forget - forever would it burn in his memory, so many had he seen it bring down. _A stun beam!! __But from where did it…?! _Like the tale of the doomed prince, that thought was fated never to conclude – as he edged from the danger, something began to constrict his throat. Before he could cry out, Snively was being dragged away.

Wooden trunk slammed into that back, those eyes popping out almost like corks. Like the greasiest of fishes, up the human was hauled. And as the pressure continued to build inside that head, he was suddenly facing the one who had cast that line...

From his place upon that twisting branch, Zero inspected this morsel with obvious disdain – an entire platter of those spiders, he would have considered more appealing. "Target acquired, guess one could say." In that left hand, a grapple-gun. Fired with unerring accuracy, it had unleashed a length of cable to which was attached a hook of metal – the cable had looped around a scrawny neck, snagging on the hook in order to form a noose. In that right hand, a stun-rifle. Barrel of metal cooled, having just scored a direct hit – its use at an end now, the weapon returned to that harness. "Plus _bonus_, guess one might _add_."

Snively realised how limp was his jaw, as though broken by this sucker punch – there in front of him was a _human_, a human of relation whatsoever to _him_. It was so unbelievable, the gasp actually hurt – though when one paused to consider it, that was probably caused by the noose. As he parted those lips, that suspicion was quite confirmed – his intent was to negotiate return to terra firma, the ultimate result of which was a strangled squeak.

_We weren't the only…?! Then there were others…?!_

"_Since_ we're playin the name game and all…always displeased to meet a _Kintobor_." Zero narrowed those eyes in loathing, scabs to cover an old wound - that voice was of sheer thunder, each word a threat to strike. "_Two_ _creatures_ I _hate_ _most_…_together_ in one convenient _spot_! Now _tell_ _me_…who _woulda_ _figured_?"

To snap that neck like a wish bone, the urge was like a craving for drugs...

Snively grasped at the cable, goggling at that savage visage. "_Who_…_even_…_mentioned_…_names_?" he managed to croak, the effort involved herculean.

The answer to his question was of no immediate significance, given the curtain of night which swept over his sight...

**End Of Chapter**

_Author Notes - Now before anybody asks this, Snively didn't get thru THAT MUCH of "The Hobbit" in one night!! Bunnie came over and read it to Tails, while he was giving everybody the silent treatment!! By the by, the tale Snively told Tails just now is called "The Wedding Of Mrs Fox"!! Written by two guys you may have heard of, the good old Brothers Grimm!! Interesting tidbit, the fox featured in it had NINE TAILS!! Well, heeere we aaare!! With beginning and middle of this story done, we will be moving onto the final stage!! With luck, I'll soon start work on that!! RIGHT NOW, a little break seems in order!! _

_Hope ya'll enjoyed this, see ya'll next time!!_


	18. The Slumber Of Centuries

_Author Notes - Samhain, The Feast Of The Dead, Halloween!! A time of devils bedevilling, an eve of witches bewitching, a night of nastiness nasty!! Whatever ya wanna call it, it is just around the corner!! Roundabout that time last year, I wuz still writing Chapter Seven!! I thought about waiting until the big evening, post this then for dramatic effect!! But naaaw, I've kept ya waiting long enough!! So here ya'll go, enjoy this!!_

_Have An Eerie Halloween!! (When it comes round.)_

**Chapter Sixteen  
Driven Beyond Simple Reason; The Slumber Of Centuries**

"Dulcy, this is no good! I told you, we have to land!"

Sally had never felt so under attack as then, hair lashed by wind and face battered by rain – from that back coated in green scales, desperate eyes watched the area down below. That custom made saddle forgotten due to hasty departure, the squirrel clung fast to avoid being shaken off – defying elemental forces which now tore at her, she prayed for fleeting glimpse of twin tails.

"No can do, Sally! There isn't enough open space, you could get hurt! Especially given my track record, heh!"

Dulcy cocked an ear, worry rippling over her face – she was geared up for resistance, having anticipated this very order. With the elevator out of action, leaving the village was a difficult enterprise – before a new one was constructed, much time would have passed. When the squirrel came to request a ride, the dragon had barely felt able to decline – Sally was desperate enough to attempt scaling that ravine, Dulcy had gotten the strongest impression indeed. Thus the dragon had agreed, Sally gratefully climbing aboard - Dulcy would play along for now, if only to watch over the squirrel. To the sky high above, flyer and rider had soared - as though in ominous portent, dark clouds had begun to gather.

Sally felt that brow crease with stress, there was no time for this. "I am perfectly prepared for the risk!" she snapped in answer to this warning, her voice ringing out over that raging storm.

"Well, I'm not!" Dulcy narrowed those eyes, she had been expecting this – before letting the squirrel endanger herself, the dragon would turn and head home. "Sally, you need to…Sally, what are you doing?!!"

"I'm sorry, Dulcy…" Sally no longer paid heed, rising from her mounted position – she fell into that oblivion, those arms spread out wide. "…but this is the only way!"

The forest floor rushed up to meet her, that crimson hair writhing like entangled serpents – the pivotal moment coming now, she tucked close arms and legs. Against a bumpy slope, her landing was made – by that last stage, she was rendered breathless. For an uncertain period of time, she knew naught but an insufferable ringing – in addition to this skull splitting irritation, her brain seemed trapped in a revolving door. The squirrel gradually emerged from this daze, those cheeks graced by the odd raindrop - formed between them now, a grin most unexpected.

_That was like something…Sonic would have done!_

Sonic would be fine, Sally assured herself of that – what had happened back there, the purest essence of irony.

Sonic had gone forth alone, risking his life for the sake of their village – yet though heroic hedgehog fell before some awesome adversary, he had not been alone. Driven by furious tingling of senses significant, Ari and Rotor had followed – combining pure strength of ram and sheer determination of walrus, both had worked together to raise the elevator. Regardless the spirit poured into that effort, neither of them had reached their destination – yet as decreed by fate, both had gained so much more. Alerted by the scream of squirrel, ram and walrus had looked up in dread – at the sight of that falling hedgehog, they had almost let go of those pulleys.

After sharing brief glance with the ram, the walrus had let go deliberately – leaving both pulleys to the strong grasp of Ari, Rotor had lunged to the salvation of Sonic. Those logs slamming into that gut, the walrus barely avoided falling from that edge – the paw of that breathless walrus had shot out, gripped that of the passing hedgehog. Rotor had held onto Sonic, both seconds away from certain death – seeing that all now depended upon him, Ari had allowed the elevator to fall. This act of courage complimented by mass gasping, the ram had grasped walrus and hedgehog under either brawny arm – well timed bound saw them off descent into eternity, doomed elevator splintering against hard ground mere seconds later. From becoming the flattest thing dead, the fastest thing alive had been saved...and as she caressed his face, Princess Sally had never felt more grateful. Sonic was now safe…

_…though what about Tails?_

Her mind ceased spinning, ringing followed shortly after – those senses recovered now, she heard that cry.

"Sally, where are you?!! Sallyyy!!!!"

Sally lay on her side, smitten now with great shame…though an urge to respond was powerful, it was also swiftly dismissed. Sally could have reassured the dragon, had she given a yell…Dulcy would have thwarted the squirrel, acting upon knowledge of her location. That she was okay, they would know soon enough…that a certain cub was safe, she must know now.

Tails…it wasn't safe here for him. Sally must find the fox…bring him home. With whatever had been responsible for such mayhem on the loose, to ensure his safety was her responsibility…no, that was simply another rationalisation. Sally wanted to find Tails, that was so…solely to protect, not the truth at all. All excuses washed away now, her yearning was to see him…plead for him not to leave, promise she would never do that again.

If anything happened to Tails, Sally would never forgive herself…

The sound of wings was no longer heard, having receded into the distance – in absolute desperation to find Sally, Dulcy must have flown on.

Sally rose from the ground, those legs swaying under her – she had to go now, else the chance slipped away. Regardless the pain in her heart, she found the strength for movement - rousing those bones into action, the squirrel began to walk. Onward did she lope, strangest sensation creeping over her – that feeling of sheer déjà vu, the squirrel could not ignore. She understood why this was so, upon hearing the familiar rustle of leaves, – of a day ten years prior, these surroundings now reminded her.

Sally cautiously gazed up at those trees, wondering whether a bird might emerge – the shock came from down below, rather than domain high above. The squirrel lowered blue eyes, those ears filled with frantic scurrying – she saw it dart away, a mouse which must have panicked. Her eyes followed the poor creature, mind drawn in two directions - in the first place, it was relieving to have been proven wrong. For all things considered, the squirrel hadn't time to deliver another cub - in the second place, that mind roamed farther back.

Something called out for it, something from long before the coup...

On the day a certain hedgehog fell ill, footsteps of boredom had wended to the royal library – there she had seen her father, his expression one of thought most dour. Her arrival had brought him out of it, for she was the distraction he needed – sweeping squirrel girl onto his knee, he had talked of something most mysterious. A secret few others were privy to, one which made her eyes go round – in days long forgotten, their ancestors had not walked on two feet. The most lowly of creatures, they had crawled on all fours – nor had they spoken, capable only of sounds indecipherable. And though unbelievable by itself, this was not all – during an age lost to time, another race had dominated that planet. Though their physical form remained unknown, their very existence was undeniable – the evidence of an extinct species, many ruins scattered about this world.

This had her father known well, Mobotropolis itself having been built…

"Hells Angels…lookit what we have here!"

Sally looked up in dismay, belly churning in sudden nausea - while lost in a world of her own, she had walked into one of trouble.

In their midst now stood the squirrel, odiously familiar figures leaning against Hover Bikes – The Princess had wished never to meet them again, yet they were thrilled to see an old enemy. Dirty as the hair upon their heads, the tails which flicked behind them – from the back of each jacket glowered that canine insignia, though it could not be seen from this perspective. They advanced upon her, grins splitting their muzzles – pleased to see Sally, The Nasty Hyenas were indeed.

"Whass the matter, gorgeous?" the leanest hyena chuckled with menace, menace greatly undermined by that pink fur. "Momma never warn ya to keep outta the woods?"

"Ain't no big bad wolf round here!" the stockiest hyena growled, moist tongue caressing that beard. "But we'll gladly fill in!"

"And fill our stomachs, yeah!" the squattest hyena yelped, teeth grinding against each other. "Yeah, fill our stomachs too!"

Judging by the howls of laughter that followed, this commentary struck each of them as hilarious…

Sally resisted an urge to back off, resolving instead to stand her ground – depending upon how long these vermin had been lurking about, she might just be able to get something useful out of them. "I am looking for a cub, a fox with two tails. And if you have hurt him, then so help me…" she barely recognised the voice which passed those lips, every ounce of composure seeming drained from it – her words emerged in the form of a low growl, the promise of deadly consequence should an answer displease.

The hyenas exchanged glances of bemusement, wondering whether they really had heard that...

"A fox…with two tails?" Grizzly broke this silence, that expression shifting from confusion to cruelty. "Hold on…could that have been the fox we saw just now?"

"You…you have seen him?!!" Sally heard her own gasp, lips parting in shock – she sounded winded now, hope surging through that body. "Tell me where he is…tell me!!!!"

"Have we ever, sweetheart!" Grizzly gave a nod, savouring every moment of this – those eyes now gleamed with malice, that grin enough to make her ownwater. "Matter of fact, he hitched a ride from The Headless Gopher!"

Sally gave the most painful flinch, feeling as though drenched by icy water. "Tell me where he is." like the scrape of a rusted chain, her voice now sounded grating.

"Wait just a sec…" Pinky jumped aboard, his imagination taxed to the fullest – that game face was in need of hard work, such sophisticated humour causing it to quiver. "…didn't the fox we saw have two heads?"

Sally was now breathing hard, sheer frustration building within her. "Tell me…where…he is." she repeated the order, despite knowing it was fruitless.

"Hey no, no hey!" Shrimpy joined in with glee, enjoying the sight of such misery – usually the butt of jokes himself, this made a pleasant change. "I thought we saw two foxes with a pet human!"

Sally could feel it in her throat, the lump of anguish now threatening suffocation – backed into the proverbial corner, she knew that tears flowed. "Tell me…please…tell me." the squirrel whispered once more, that brief hope having faded – those words were repeated like some faint echo, almost a prayer to keep harm from Tails.

"Tell me where he is, please, tell me where he is!" Pinky mimicked between mirthful spasms, gloved paw slapping against that knee. "Please, tell me where he is, please!"

"Waaah!" Grizzly guffawed, flinging back that head. "Please tell me!"

"Please, please, pleeeassse!" Shrimpy giggled, deliriously clutching that belly. "Pleeeassse, please, please!"

"_Please tell me where my booze is_!!!!"

"_Please tell me where my shorts are_!!!!"

"_Please tell me where my brain is_!!!!"

Sally tottered back in growing disorientation, buffoonish laughter filling those ears – her arms gripped by iron paws, she gave a panicked cry.

"Kings have come and gone, sister…" the female hyena brought nearer those lips, cooing into the ear of her captive - she was dreaming about some untried delicacy, judging by the sound of that voice. "...but we've never ever had ourselves a Queen!"

"I decree, that sounds royally royal!" Grizzly licked those chops, obviously captivated by this notion – there was hunger of another kind in those eyes, this one clearly relished playing with his food. "But first, we gotta observe our new ancient tradition!"

"The purer the maiden, the sweeter the meat!" Pinky breathed those words with euphoria, practically fainting as he reached the point. "What we gotta find out, is if she's a virgin!"

"Yeeeahhh, virgin!" Shrimpy scuttled at their heels, drool dribbling down his furry chin. "Meat, yeeeah!"

Sally only gazed at them, those monsters surrounding her – what was about to happen, she was frozen by the implication. For their current intent, there was a word – frightened beyond rational thought, she couldn't remember it. Back in the lost days of Mobotropolis, she had been oblivious to it – she had never known it to happen, during the years of life in Knothole. To the squirrel girl, such an alien concept…that was to say, until this present moment.

_They're going to…rape me?_

By rough paws grasping her, that silent question was answered. That vest so recently adopted, intended to cover her developing figure – off it came now, torn away in sheer frenzy. Those blue boots of hers, pulled on every morning – they were now flung aside, leaving those feet bare. Nicole clattering across the ground, Sally was barely able to hear – as they lifted her from the same, she began thrashing in sudden terror. The squirrel gave a scream, each limb held by powerful paw – she fought against them wildly, her life depending upon no surrender. Her body feeling ripped apart, she kicked like mad – her right leg coming free, she wrapped it around the left. To protect her now uncovered form, there was no more she could do – the curves of the helpless squirrel, the paws of the hyenas mercilessly invaded.

"No…_noooo_!!!!"

A roar rocked the heavens…the earth followed suit soon after. Sally would have pondered the meaning of both, were the breath not shaken out of her...she lay in a daze, dropped like a stuffed toy. The squirrel lay on that ground, each lock of fur quivering...sense coming back to her head, she became aware of voices.

"This look like an open buffet to ya?" Grizzly growled, display of bravado most impressive. "Guess again an get lost!"

"He said it, cream puffs!" Pinky sneered, clearly not about to share. "Beat it or we'll beat it for ya!"

"Guess again, beat it! He said it, get lost!" Shrimpy blustered, riding that wave of adrenaline. "Now ya let us have lunch or we'll have ya for breakfast!"

Sally looked up, staring toward this apparent confrontation – as she discovered who approached, her heart leapt. Mere feet from her tormentors, a duo she recognised with joy – their eyes promising a whole world of hurt, Ari and Rotor faced The Nasty Hyenas. Some distance behind ram and walrus, a certain dragon mumbled under her breath – Dulcy sprawled across the ground, that brain shaken by emergency landing.

"Don't Spring Clean my room, mom, you'll throw away my Eddie Comic Books…"

"You gents seem to have bitten off much more than is possible to chew." Ari might have looked ridiculous, foliage caught in either twisting horn – yet instead he appeared terrifying, some spirit of nature come alive. The growl of a ram now sounded deadly, far surpassing the roar of a dragon – they jumped back as though struck by arrows, each of them whom heard it then. "And that leads to killer indigestion."

Rotor lurched forward now, diverting into oblivion their response – winded still by that landing, the walrus breathed not a syllable. As for that face, it spoke volumes beyond measure – surprised by the mere sight, the hyenas burst into renewed laughter.

"Better evacuate the forest, _it's the revenge of the barber shop floor_!!!!"

"Watch ya backs, _Moby Dickless is on the war path_!!!!"

"Yeah, we should all…_holy hell, look out_!!!!"

Rotor strode into that jeering maelstrom, undaunted by a single insult – reaching for the tool belt he wore, his paw gripped a significant something. With wrench now drawn, those hyenas ceased to guffaw – that tool was swung, sheer rage fuelling deadly arc. Catching this blow with his snout, Grizzly went flying – the least aesthetically pleasing domino, he sent those bikes crashing over.

"_Get away from her_..."

Rotor whirled toward the rest, eyes like green flames - that he was capable of such rage, his friends would never have believed.

"..._now_!!!!"

"Real tough, tubba guts!" Pinky lunged forward, fangs bared in aggression – for the sake of his rep, he could not appear yellow. "Gonna try that with me…?!!"

"_You're so hungry_…"

Fangs relocated to windpipe, Pinky indeed choked…

"..._eat this_!!!!"

"When you ask that, you're asking for trouble!" Ari gave a rueful chuckle, feeling anew that soreness – those arms folded over his chest, he observed the show with pleasure. "And believe me, I speak from experience!"

"Ya know, this is gettin a real drag!" Shrimpy gulped, warlike walrus facing him – seeing as they were laughing no longer, the joke was now upon them. As he rambled, his voice shook tellingly – though a big game was talked, the feet in those boots now quaked. "So uh, you can kinda shove off just this once..."

"_You can't_..."

The wrench came down hard, stars exploding within that skull…

"..._until I say so_!!!!"

"Wouldn't dream of raisin a paw to a lady…" having taken no part in the brawl, Babs minced over to Ari – her voice sounded husky, almost a canine purr. "…would ya?"

"You're right." Ari wrinkled that snout, his sense of honour affronted -that hyena was now swung around, a foot planted in her spotted backside. "I wouldn't."

The hyenas were now fed up, their personal limit one victim – this threshold now crossed, they remembered pressing business elsewhere. Giving up their prize, they made a retreat – the hyenas leapt onto those bikes, anti gravity engines whirring into life. As they fled the scene, one final insult echoed back…

"_Don't let us see ya around_, _doggy douche bags_!"

Sally lowered those eyes, now windows misted over - she had tried to leave behind the others, yet they came in time to save her.

It struck again, that pure irony…

"Princess?" Ari bestowed that flinty gaze upon the squirrel, his grey brow creasing with deepest compassion – trembling in shock and stained by tears, she was a truly pitiful sight. "Are you hurt?"

"How..." Sally closed those eyes, unable even to meet his – she was in such a state, her shame was too great. Due to that intense shock, her voice was almost a mumur – she realised that it was extraordinary only now, the speed with which they had arrived. "...did you guys find me?"

"This may sound weird…because it does!" Dulcy rose from the ground, mind in the present once more – she looked at the squirrel, rubbing at that head of hers. "After going back for these two, I began hearing an odd sound…the further in this direction I went, the louder and clearer it got! When we saw those perverted paws mauling you…I don't know, it just kinda stopped!" though dizzy at first, that voice grew in steadiness – those eyes narrowed in contemplation, bemusement banished from them. "Like something had been calling to me…begging me to come help you!"

Ari glanced toward the dragon, "Women's intuition?" the ram asked in amusement.

"Ari, for the last time!" Dulcy gave an annoyed huff, those nostrils now flaring. "I didn't imagine this, I swear!"

Sally heard approaching feet, feet which were uncovered – she looked at their owner, he who gazed upon her.

Rotor was again himself, the rage now gone – from that tusked muzzle, endearing kindness beamed again. Then the squirrel looked closer, realising this was not all – another emotion was now there, filling the walrus like a sponge. For revelling in his violence, he now tasted only bitter shame…

Sally rolled onto those knees, pausing only for deep breath – she tried again to rise, her unsteady feet preventing this. The squirrel sank back to ground, mind clear as water now – she gazed at the walrus, her eyes those of profound understanding. Rotor had torn straight into The Nasty Hyenas, Sonic had raised that fist to Snively, Sally had harshly punished Tails…though they had done wrong, at the end of the day, they had done so for the right reasons. For what they had each done, not one of them was a bad person…good people pushed beyond the point of reason, they had allowed themselves to become.

The best they could now do, to learn from those very mistakes…though that chance may no longer be hers, she now remembered with the deepest sadness.

Rotor held out that paw, offering help far more gentle. "Sally…" the walrus gave a murmur, sensing that turmoil within her.

Sally reached out in acceptance, joyful that they remained friends. "Rotor…" lulled by the security of his paw, the squirrel rose again to those feet.

"Sally, the way you were feeling…we all do sometimes, you know? Wound up so bloody tight..." Rotor regarded the squirrel, eyes warm yet firm – now she was ready to listen, the walrus felt ready to talk. Knitting that brow of his, he adopted a stern expression – his ability to forgive regardless, he could not yet forget. "...like you're gonna explode. The big difference is…we don't hit cubs!"

Sally again felt them, tears of sheer regret – rather than look away, the squirrel admitted misdeed. "Rotor, it won't happen again…never ever again, it won't! Please, believe me…I swear, Rotor!" she begged of the walrus, her heart swollen with sincerity – this promise the squirrel made now, never had one meant more.

"Well, that's good enough for me…Tails, you'll need to try harder with." Rotor gave a nod, accepting this without question – this was far from over, his face failing to relax. "When he comes back, you should…"

Sally fought to contain an anguished cry, sounding as though gagged in the effort. "He's never coming back, Rotor! I hurt him so deeply, he won't ever forgive me! Don't you see, he's run away! I'll never see him again, never tell him I'm sorry…" her voice a choked river, she poured this dread out.

"Princess…" Ari stepped closer to the squirrel, that mirth replaced now with dourness – he now sounded weary, his face deeply haggard. "…were that only the case."

Sally gazed up at ram, fear frozen in her eyes. "What do you mean?" she whispered in answer, voice like distant wind.

"Your house is on fire..." Ari turned from the squirrel, his own eyes shut tight - he lowered that grey head, quoting those words of mockery. "...and your children are gone."

_I didn't want to be the one…but this is something she must know._

Sally could not hold back the gasp, an icy chill racing up that spine. As she had listened to those words, the stab of horror penetrated her flesh. The burning down of a home clearly meant those flames engulfing Knothole, whereas the tragic loss of children must refer to none other than…

_…Tails!!!!_

"Sally…?" Rotor broke the awful silence, that voice faltering in anxiety – he now saw it, something which alarmed him. Her eyes rolled back, the pupils both dilating – the squirrel folded up, collapsing into his arms. "…Sallyyy!!"

Dulcy lumbered toward the pair, alert that something was wrong – that long neck now craned, she gazed at The Princess. "Too much…it's all been too much for her. She's fainted…gone someplace where no pain can reach. Come on, let's get her back to the infirmary…Sonic sure is gonna love the company, heh." the dragon gave an excessively bright smile, in complete contrast to the sorrow inside – hopeless as everything now seemed, it was this or cry.

_Thank goodness we didn't tell her about…Bunnie and Antoine._

Ari turned those eyes, wishing that they remain unseen – what was visible of the sky, that grey face now sought. In that seething soul, an oath was forged – for the mayhem today, retribution would come tomorrow. From corner of averted eye, a tear now coursed – within that heart of iron, the ram was only Mobian.

_One for all…all for one…Freedom Fighters Forever!_

* * *

With the rest of that temple, that pillar lay far below the earth – magnificent structure and land upon which it once stood, everything had succumbed to the slumber of centuries. Marble column was unbesmirched by smallest speck of dust, in contrast to the rest of that buried masonry – enclosed within the energy sphere, it had remained preserved exquisitely.

Upon the chunk of ancient architecture, a figure was seated silently - that body was swathed in purple robes, face covered by a matching hood. During the evolution of countless species, the robed one had not moved an inch - since the hooded one last made an utterance, empires had risen and fallen. By the properties of that energy sphere, process of aging and requirement of sustenance were both negated - many ages ago had it been created, long before the concept of writing down history. Here remained that very creator, bathed even now in endless radiance. Until…

Beneath that hood, those eyes opened – though shut so long, they saw most clear. Beyond the robe, that form stirred – though unmoving for ages, strength now coursed through it. Into that hidden pocket, now reached the hand – energy sphere dissipated now, eons of soil descending. The figure shrugged it off like rain, thrusting powerful arms into wall of earth – to the world of light and life, that long and laborious climb began now. To see what must be seen and do what must be done, the figure in purple prepared for the slumber of centuries now was ended…

_The eyes of truth, truth will they see…see the coming of doom, doom which never must fall._

**End Of Chapter**

_Author Notes - "Fighting never solved anything". Yeah, pretty contradictory!! I mean, this is a show in which the heroes FIGHT for FREEDOM!! But wait, I'm actually going somewhere with this!! Am I supporting corporal punishment?? No. Am I recommending punching someone in order to resolve a verbal dispute?? No. Am I saying ya should do anything to protect a loved one?? Absolutely. If ever ya feel ya must fight, it should be the very last option and for right reasons alone!!Yet still, aggression breeds aggression!! Due to the nature of people, our good intentions may simply perpetuate the cycle of violence. Kinda worrying, isn't it??_

_In life, there are no simple answers..._

_By the byyy, an explanation is owed!! The brief second scene, it wuz originally "Interlude The Second"!! But I then realised, the first scene might be a little too short for an entire chapter!! And due to the nature of it, it couldn't go in the chapter coming next!! So ya know, together they both went!! Ooh, another thing!! Guess which character design I prefer for Rotor, go on!! Anyway, hope ya'll enjoyed it!!_

_See ya next time!! And until then..._

_Keep On Freedom Fightin!! (For the right reasons alone.)_


	19. Into The Gathering Storm

**Chapter Seventeen  
The Meaning Of Zero; Into The Gathering Storm**

Where could he be?

Truth be known, he hadn't the foggiest of ideas.

The reason for this lack of perception may have been the fact that his eyes were shut tighter than Antoine's closet of spare guardsman uniforms whenever Sonic paid a visit. He opened them as weakly as those of a newborn cub as the light that came pouring in sent his senses reeling. The fox-cub looked around as his vision slowly regained the ability to show him more than eyewater-inducing white haze.

The lush trees, straw-thatched huts, cool whispering grass and gold sun of Knothole Village were each soon arrayed to greet his sight like a welcoming committee.

Yet why then did his instincts warn that all was not as it seemed to be?

A chilling tide-wave of bewilderment swept away the relief which had begun to take root in his heart.

The fox had been lost in the depths of the forest so how could he have gotten back to the village?

The sun's rays felt uncommonly hot as they beat down on his unprotected head.

So hot indeed that the trees began to melt away like tubs of forgotten ice-cream.

The fox's widening eyes observed in morbid fascination as the very bark sluiced down from their trunks and branches.

They had been akin to painted pictures in that they might be beautiful to the eye and yet no true depth was theirs. Beyond their outer-exteriors was something else. A thick black substance like tar or ink which, now liberated from its quashed incarceration, went splashing over the ground. The rivulets of liquid darkness began to spread far and fast. Their tightening grip flattened blade upon blade of long green grass beneath a carpet of creamy black and climbed up the sides of the huts which were also soon engulfed. It went crawling over the bank of the Great River and was soon plunging into the foamy depths of the water which grew as thick and black as spilt oil. Those fingers of oblivion even travelled up the shafts of glorious daylight and systematically covered the blue midsummer sky with a curtain of sackcloth. Last but not least to be erased from the canvas of The Goddess's creation was the sun whose glorious radiance it took several worming tendrils of everlasting night to snuff out.

Terror was filling his heart like water in a glass philter.

The fox spun around and felt it perform a spectacular backflip.

A slender figure stood nearby with her back to him.

The golden fur gleaming on her perfect body and the long ears which crowned her head informed him of who she was.

"Bunnie, help me!" he called, reaching out with a paw covered in deep fresh welts.

Bunnie's emerald eyes glowed with warm affection as she turned to face the fox cub. Yet she was no truer than the village which had been erased almost completely by this time. Strips of fur began to peel away from her elegant arm. Soon her entire silken coat had been shed to reveal the dull metal which had lain beneath it. The rabbit was entirely roboticized as she stalked toward him. The pupils of her eyes glowed like two points of hellish flame shining from the heart of an endless black void and, when she spoke, her voice came as a robotically synthesized mockery of its accustomed sensual coo.

"No hug for Aunt Bunnie? Well, ain't that sad?" she droned emotionlessly.

"No! Noooooo!" Tails screamed in mortal terror.

He swung away and would have tried to escape had another figure not appeared in the distance ahead.

"Sonic, please!" the fox begged of his hero.

Sonic heeded his little friend's wail of distress and leapt to answer it. The thing was that he came with a burst of such speed that he actually left his fur behind in a crumpled heap. Bodily fluids which had nothing to keep them in sprayed everywhere as the skeletal hedgehog skidded to a halt. Entrails dangled through the gaps between his ribs like great big trails of mucus. An eye came popping from its socket to make way for a spurt of yellowish ichor. His brain was on proud display as though to debunk the past claims of a certain squirrel that he didn't possess one.

"Ya actin' like a freak, Tails!" the skinned hedgehog threw back his head in a burst of hysterical laughter.

"Stay away from meee!" Tails wailed, backing away and tripping over in blind panic.

The hard ground slammed into his rear as he sat down. Panting like a hunted animal, the fox looked over his shoulder in search of escape. If anyone had suggested that he would ever feel joyously relieved to see the figure now standing behind him then he would have thought they were kidding. But now he reached for this unlikely savior like a drowning person would a piece of floating debris. The presence of a familiar and friendly face was so wonderful that he could have wept with gratitude.

"Antoine, won't you..."

Antoine lifted his paw into an extravagant salute of respect from one canine to another. Such energy went into the gesture that he accidentally smacked his own head. The oval of flesh, blood, bones and brains went tumbling from his shoulders and bounced across the dark ground like an incongruous football. It rolled its eyes and sighed as its body knelt and began to grope around for it. A tentative paw finally grasped the sandy strands of hair which ran from its scalp and lifted it in triumph, only to snap off at the wrist.

"I am theenkeeng that thees ees a cub in need of some time-out." the coyote's decapitated head yammered as it fell once more.

"Leave me alooone!"

The fox was surrounded. Trapped the middle of a circle of horror which grew by the agonizing heartbeat. He could not rise from his watery knees as his stomach twisted like a furry white ribbon around a maypole covered with spikes. He looked across his shoulder through tearful eyes from which the light of hope had now faded like a pair of blue lanterns plunged into a bucket of frigid water. Thus they remained afraid as yet a fourth familiar figure sprang to their blurry sight.

"Rotor…?" Tails whispered.

The walrus had grown.

Not only in terms of height but girth. Fold upon fold of sheer flab hung from his gut. So many that he'd never have been able to catch sight of so much as one of the toes of his feet. Purple stretch-marks fanned over his bloated circumference like livid scars. The fox's eyes widened in nauseated horror as that obese abdomen slowly ripped open. Torn apart by its own weight. And from the fleshy gaps came gushing a wave of fish-heads and burnt black toast in various stages of digestion.

"Bad cub, Tails. Veeeeeery baaaaaad cuuuuuub." Rotor slurped through a flabby-joweled mouth whose rotting tusks were pitted with green slime.

Whimpers were rising like bubbles from the depths of the bad cub's throat as he closed his eyes tight, desperate to escape from the monsters all around him. Second upon second dripped by like water from a leaky ceiling. Seconds which turned into minutes which each expired in excruciating agony. Silence reigned in the dark void. He opened his eyes of blue, praying that those horrors had gone away and it was just the emptiness of total oblivion and himself.

Only to discover that it was the darkness of oblivion, he and she.

"Oh no...no..." Tails whispered as sheer terror like never ever before gripped his soul in its skeletal claw and didn't let go.

Sally was terrifying to behold as she stood over the fox-cub, looming like an all-powerful goddess.

Her eyes.

He was frozen by them, unable to shut his own or move even the slightest of muscles.

And that the fox wanted to do more than anything in the entire world (or rather the pitch-black void which had engulfed the entire world). He would have allowed his arms and legs; even his tails (those hateful accursed things) to be ripped off it doing so would have kept the squirrel away from him. But even that merciful choice was not offered to him. She spoke. Her voice penetrating his skull just as her unblinking eyes bored into his own. Both held an unyielding stranglehold over his mind just as she had always held over his life, his future, his very soul.

"Come into my arms. I love you so." she asked him in a voice sweeter than the song of a nightingale.

Tails' knees quivered against the endless darkness of nothing whatsoever.

Then they gave in and propelled him onto his bare feet even as he screamed against what was happening to him.

His bare paw betrayed him also as it reached out and accepted the squirrel's.

And as soon as their furry fingers interlocked, Sally's began to melt.

Dissolve into the same inky black slime which had devoured everything else around them both, the village, the trees, even the sun in the sky.

And since she was holding onto him, Tails also dissolved. That sweet, hateful, deceiver's smile remained on her face as he did. She draped an affectionate arm around his shoulders. Rivulets of dark slime ran from the tips of her fingers and down his back where they spread like groping tendrils. Her lips pressed to his muzzle in a maternal kiss and soon their heads were merging together like spilt paint. The squirrel princess and fox cub fused into a shapeless twisted mass of ooze which, in its own turn, began to sink into the blackness of oblivion.

"Dear little Tails. My little Tails. You are mine. Mine. Now and forever. Mine." Sally's terrible voice whispered said in every particle of his being.

"Help me...help meeee!" Tails screamed with every ounce of air in his lungs, strength in his body, particle of his being.

And then it was over.

His eyes were wide open and full of shock as he breathed in jagged pants.

He was sprawled on his back across the floor.

A radiance as pale and sickly as the twilight sky after a solid evening's rainfall was shining the fox cub's face.

His brain felt like a rusty stake which had been pounded into a concrete floor.

_Hey wait…the floor?_ Tails thought with a blink that brought awareness seeping back into his blue eyes.

There was no mistake. He could feel it indeed. Not the uneven earthy terrain of a forest but the firmness of a structure made by paw rather than nature. And with this realization came a surge of giddying hope. He had fallen out of bed and the impact had banished the horrific nightmare from his mind. Which meant that the past weeks, and the misery and despair they had wreaked on his life, they had also been a dream.

_A dream! None of it really happened! I'm going to go outside and my life's going to be the way it's always been!_ A smile of joyful, mindless, dumb gratitude graced the fox's face.

His ears pricked up with renewed energy as the sound of breathing reached them from very close by.

Tails' smile broadened as his bones told him just whose nostrils it was coming from.

The fox must have been in a fever for days and she had been sitting by his bed for all that time.

"Aunt Sally...I just had the worstest dream ever." Tails spoke in a slurring voice which made him sound drunk, "I was a mutant. My mom was dead. I turned into a sneering creep and went to town on everyone. You turned into a real monster and thumped me with a stick. Well, you kinda lost nerve near the end. Your nerve and your breakfast, hahahaaaaaa!"

A spasm of laughter wracked his aching body painfully.

But he didn't care.

He was just so happy that the nightmare was passed.

"And then there was the part where I bit Ari right on the snout, well, actually that was pretty good…" Tails gasped, lifting a paw to brush the quaff of orange fur from his eyes.

The motion revealed a glimpse of the underside of his palm.

And the strips of burning vermillion which marred its flesh.

"Poor boy. Naught is more frightening than the unchartable region of Morpheus." croaked the voice of the person whose breath Tails had heard.

Tails instantly sat up as the lingering tendrils of sleep were torn from his mind by explosive shock.

That the floor under his rear was of cold metal banished any happy illusions about where he was.

The little fox wasn't in Knothole anymore nor was the person he'd addressed Sally Acorn.

"No! No!" he whispered through a pair of lips that had just become colder than ice.

Directly ahead loomed a terrible figure he could only wish was a mere night fright.

Ixis Naugus grinned down at the terrified cub with a demonic grin on his face. The sorcerer looked like a gruesome male version of The Snow Queen (a villain from one of the books Sally had read to Tails back before she'd started hating his guts and him hers even more) as he sat with dignity upon a throne wrought from purest crystal. He had spent two entire weeks twiddling his solitary thumb and waiting for this moment to come. And now it had. The mountain had come to Mohammad. He had much to grin about. And he did. And the fox-cub had never seen a sight more poisonous to dreams. That smile would haunt his own tonight. If he ever got to have them.

"Unless it's me!" Naugus cackled.

Tails barely heard him.

Wasn't even listening.

He stared aghast into a pair of laughing jaws.

Cringed as they filled the world with shark-like teeth which seemed about to go for his throat at any moment without warning.

"Let me wake up! I'll be good! I'll be good forever! Just let me wake up!" the fox whimpered fearfully, now lost in a nightmare he wouldn't be awakening from.

Naugus fell silent in order to hear out these desperate pleas with great courtesy.

He could understand a child feeling awed to behold his magnificence at such close quarters.

Then he said cordially, "Permit me to introduce myself since fate did not allow for such indulgences when last we met. Custodian of all secrets of the universe. Sorcerer to surpass even the most masterful sages. I am Ixis Naugus and this..."

Naugus suddenly leant forward and reached out with a glove-encased hand. His fingers curled into very specific positions as they were thrust into the cub's vulpine face. Then the whole appendage was gone and where it had just been was now the face of some miniature freakish abomination that no name could ever have done justice. Its head was blunt, scaly and completely lacking in eyes, nose, ears or mouth. But what it didn't have in those departments was more than made up for in that of teeth. The unutterable blasphemy of creation gnashed and screamed incoherently as it strained get within reach Tails' horror-stricken face. Strained to bite his nose off.

"...is my snap dragon!" the sorcerer concluded mirthfully.

As a terrified scream echoed around the circular chamber, Tails slid backwards on his bushy-tailed rear.

This ill-conceived escape was cut short, however, as something hard went bump against his shoulder.

He shot a look of dread down at the scuffed leather of a tremendous black boot.

The boot of none other than Doctor Robotnik who was ready, waiting and smiling to meet the captured cub's fearful eyes. The gorgon of a man still resembled a scarecrow with his tattered dress and ungroomed moustache. A scarecrow possessed by a demon from the deepest pit in hell's dungeon. The unnaturally crimson pupils of his own unnaturally dark sight organs were simmering like flames. Their unspoken message was clearer than two orbs wrought from diamond glass.

'Tell me, what was that you were saying about rotten eggs?'

"I...I...died back in the forest! I'm...I'm in hell! I must be!" Tails sobbed, wrenching his teary eyes from the gargantuan nightmare that loomed behind him.

He could not get away.

He was trapped with these monsters.

And the tears came flooding out along with his helpless terror.

"My young friend! There is naught to fear!" Naugus gave a reproving tut and shook his horny head.

His hand resumed its normal shape once more.

"A mere parlor trick!" he explained, waggling its newly reinstated fingers in order to quell the fox's fear. "A comradely joke. You see? The night devils may trouble you no more for you are most wakeful. And among friends, I assure you. Pray allow the introductions to continue. Doctor Robotnik I believe you know. Quite the excitable soul yet nobody to worry about. Save for the odd lamentable occasion on which he forgets himself, that is to say. And there also is he who escorted you to this friendly gathering. The most dependable Sir Zero."

Tails turned his nervous eyes in the direction indicated by a cheery nod from the sorcerer.

And the very air was stolen from his lungs by the sight which awaited him there.

A man.

One who was practically a rippling sea of muscles that bulged against the confines of a tight black leather suit. His physique was not the only thing that set him galaxies apart from both Robotnik and Snively. No, his eyes were what had been responsible for winding Tails without even touching the young cub. Their silent stare cut through his (suddenly stiffened) body like a pair of laser-beams discharging in unison. They chilled and scalded the fox like an all-new element which possessed the qualities of fire and ice yet far surpassed them both. It was just such an expression that they conveyed.

Yet what was it exactly?

Contempt? Revulsion? Hatred?

Tails could not say. It was impossible to find anything within those pools of darkness. Like fumbling around down in a pitch-black cellar.

Zero bowed his shaggy head to acknowledge the sorcerer's words of introduction, "I consider myself the Quentin Tarantino of professional extraction. As opposed to the Uwe Boll."

Robotnik rolled a pair of coal-black eyes derisively, "I suppose we all delude ourselves in one way or another." he dared to mutter from the corner of his mouth.

It seemed reasonably safe with the sorcerer's attention fixated so raptly on his vulpine prize.

It was also the last thing the human said for a while since his smooth dome of a head was almost immediately transformed into a giant-sized Sea Anemone.

Naugus leaned forward until he was balanced precariously at the edge of the throne.

A look of childish excitement spread across the ancient sorcerer's visage as he surveyed the fox cub who looked back at him in dread.

"And you are my honored guest, O Kitsune Fox of legend." a sigh of rapture accompanied the words Naugus had waited so long to utter.

"What did you say?" Tails' voice was a bewildered stammer in contrast.

Naugus leaned even closer still to where he sat.

The withered old creature's breath caressed his furry cheeks like a parched desert wind.

"It is written that he will come to walk among us! A child born from the stars and sent to this weary world clad in mortal flesh! He whose blessed eyes have power to pierce the veil of time and see all that lies beyond the vision of those less worthy! The clues to his divinity are the many tails which follow him wherever he goes! You are he! That divine being! The one who sees all and knows all! Child of the heavens! He whose arrival was foretold long ago! The Kitsune Fox! You!" the sorcerer whispered breathlessly.

A long silence followed this dramatic spiel during which Tails' mouth hung open in the most total and utter expression of gobsmacked disbelief in the turgid history of gobsmacked and disbelieving expression.

The sorcerer was so far off. So far that he could have laughed.

Laughed until his mirth gave way him to bitter tears.

The fox's origin lay not in the heavens above but in the infernal depths of hell.

Science not magic had spat him out into this world.

Science put to a vile, reprehensible, insidious use.

Murder.

Realizing that his host was expecting an answer of some kind, Tails blurted the only one he honestly could. "No! No! I'm not..."

"Oh?" Naugus clucked, running the pincers of his claw up the long silver beard which hung from his chin. "I am in error, am I? Nay, my young friend! Beyond the faintest shadow of doubt, you the promised one! My miracle! For do you not possess more than the single tail normally allotted to those of your race? Abandon the words of denial you speak so rashly! You know them to be falser than a brigand's truce! If you require further proof then, why, your own eyes can provide more than my tongue or any dusty dome ever could! Infinitely more!"

_This guy...he's nut!_ Tails could feel the strong temptation to laugh out loud threatening to rip him apart.

Naugus' voice lowered until it was even deeper the age-old foundations of a mountain, "Go on! Give it a try!" he gazed deeply into the fox's eyes as though he was expecting to see fireworks exploding within those pools of gentle blue, "Tell me what you see!"

_Scratch that...he's peanuts! Off his rocker! More batshit than the inside of a public toilet for bats that hasn't been cleaned in a month!_ Tails thought, his mind now whirling like the inside of a washing-machine.

Slowly and purposefully, Tails allowed his eyelids to lower and a serene expression to sweep over his peaceful face.

"Ommmmmm! Oh my gosh! I'm getting something! Ommmmmm! Yes, it's coming in very clear! I'm getting...I'm getting...out of this loony-bin!" he exclaimed.

In one of the many maneuvers he'd learnt from Bunnie, Tails flung his body sideways through the air.

The fox hit the floor and was soon rolling along like a barrel made from fur, flesh, blood and bones. Springing back to his feet, he turned and made a beeline for the archway which led to freedom and no close encounters with crazy people. In his ears rang a shrill shriek out outrage and amazement. An inadequately lit corridor loomed ahead like the throat of some behemoth which had devoured him without even noticing due to its gargantuan size. He ran on into the unknown while taking frantic glances from right to left. A pair of archways stood facing each other from either wall of the tunnel-like passage. They were both identical in their circular shape and in the destination they led to. The impenetrable darkness of eternal night. The frightened cub's heart pounded as though it was on the verge of exploding as he struggled to remain calm long enough to pick one. A mere second later and the question was rendered utterly meaningless.

From the dark portal emerged the unmistakable figure of a SWATbot.

Tails stood frozen as the shackles of pure terror locked around his trembling ankles.

But the robotic sentry's arms remained folded idly behind its back of cold and unfeeling alloy.

_**"Lord Naugus desires the pleasure of your company."**_ it may have been Tails' imagination but the SWATbot's voice actually sounded courteous.

The monotonous echo of metal feet treading upon a metal floor came from beyond the opposite archway.

Sure enough, an identical second SWATbot appeared from the identical second opening in the wall.

_**"Kindly permit us to escort you so that you do not get lost along the way." **_the android's manners were polished to a shine (though nobody could have said the same for its rust-pitted body).

Tails opened his mouth to answer the machine's kind offer.

The well-considered words died on the tip of his tongue, however.

A blade of vermillion light had just come slicing through the thick shadows of the passage ahead.

To the cub's fearful imagination, it was like the flame of a lantern clutched by a malicious hobgoblin.

Beads of sweat coursed down Tails' face as the light floated toward him and its true nature was laid bare.

A lidless triangular eye burning with the flame of hate.

Lieutenant Omega never had felt better.

Over the last two weeks, his cybernetic body had not merely been repaired but installed with vastly enhanced augmentations.

For example, the stump his disintegrated left arm had once been connected to was now home to a laser cannon.

The robot leveled his deadly new weapon at the face of the downcast fox.

_**"What a crime that they outlawed fox-hunting."**_ mused Omega who was just dying to try out this baby.

That flickering eye seemed to drain away the last of Tails' will to resist.

"I just...wanna...go home." he whispered, sinking to paws and knees on the floor.

"I know. But ya can't." replied a gruff voice.

Tails forced himself to look up.

Zero's muscle-bound body filled the portal through which the escapee had just run.

The human's expressionless face gave way to a grin as he acknowledged Omega.

"Hey, Johnny Five! Still alive, huh?" he drawled.

_**"I take a licking and keep on clicking."**_ Omega's eye raged with a fiery glare as he regarded the human whose presence was clearly unwelcome, _**"And unless my newly repaired sensors are malfunctioning, I'd say it's hedgehog hunting season."**_ he added with a vengeful electronic growl.

Zero flung his shaggy-haired head back in a gruff, "You sure as hell are!" he ribbed, "Matter of fact, I nailed myself one back there in that village! And not any old hog either! This one was blue! So whaddaya say? Do I win a goldfish?"

Lieutenant Omega glared at his rival with ever intensifying animosity, _**"May you forever know the tyranny of the blue screen of death."**_ he cursed the fleshy interloper.

Tails felt his stomach go plunging through the metal panels which comprised the passage's floor and into a subterranean pool of frigid water. He didn't even realize the fact that he was no longer trembling in fear. The deceit and cruelty of Sally Acorn had wracked the cub's fragile heart with grief and rage yet the words spoken with such casual relish by The Hunter Executioner had ripped it right out. Sonic. The hedgehog he'd always looked upon as a hero. As a big brother. Dead. Who'd taken him camping. Told him stories. Taught him how to run, track, hide, make traps. The realization was like every bone in his body shattering but the nerve-endings being left intact so he wouldn't miss out on one second of agony. And it was agony like nothing he'd ever felt before. That Sonic had chosen to side with Sally in treating him like an eternal infant had hurt. But the knowledge that his big brother was gone forever and that he hadn't even been given the chance to say goodbye, to apologize and make amends, was torture. Worse than the rack. Beyond the iron-maiden.

Sonic the hedgehog would never run end.

The world had ended for Miles Power.

Ended.

"Kill me."

Zero redirected his mocking eyes from the robotic face of Omega to the fox who knelt at his feet.

"What was that?" he asked in a mild tone of voice.

Tails' head bowed like that of a prisoner who had been sentenced to death and could do nothing more than wait in despair as the executioner sharpened his axe.

"Just like you did him. Kill me. Get it over and done with. Please." the cub whispered almost silently, his eyes closed and his ears drooping.

This plea for merciful release hung in the air between prisoner and executioner like a bleak grey sheet of mist.

Then Zero said in a voice lower and harder than a petrified earthworm, "Naw kid. I ain't gonna do that. Though some stuff I could do would make ya wish I bloody well had. Don't give me anymore trouble. Ya got enough comin'. A whole lot more. Now get ya ass over here."

The fox felt a hand grasp his tails and lift him from the cold metal floor like a potato sack.

He offered not the slightest squirm of resistance as the man turned and carried him back through the arch.

There was no point in escape. No point in anything anymore. Nowhere to run to. Nobody waiting there for him.

To say that Naugus was not best pleased would have qualified as the most completely unnecessary statement ever made.

"Give me the slip, eh?" he screamed, nostrils flaring like those of a feverish stallion. "Nasty, nasty sly little foxy! I wished to talk with you! Nicely talk! But now you have offended me and so I no longer feel nice!"

The sorcerer broke off and took a deep, long, calming breath.

Then he stood up from the crystal throne and gestured with a hand still quivering with intense fury.

Tails held his breath, quite expecting to be roasted by a fireball.

Only to be surprised by the utter lack of a searing, flesh-melting, agonizing death.

"Like an unruly child, you are to be consigned to your room until I say otherwise! And it is with utmost sincerity that I suggest you contemplate your actions until that time!" Naugus hissed, dismissing the cub from his presence.

Zero turned and left the chamber whistling with Tails dangling upside-down from his beefy hand.

Robotnik was left to stumble blindly around the room, bumping into things and knowing naught but the taste of raw fish for some unfathomable reason.

Naugus' eyes were glittering slits as he sank back against the throne once more. The sorcerer fumed over the repayment he had been given for his fine hospitality. Yet the defiance of the wayward Kitsune only served to temper his resolve like steel. He would have his guest's respect if it should be an eternity in the coming. Minutes ticked by on the hands of a nonexistent clock and the sorcerer's sourly frowning face gradually eased as a most intriguing thought indeed occurred to his listless mind. His claw lifted from the slick armrest and he studied the thing which was clasped between its pincers.

A quill of deep blue.

A quill which had been plucked from the shoulder of the fox cub shortly after his unconscious body had been carried in.

A quill which could have come from the back of none other than...

_Now I have you, Sonic Hedgehog._ Naugus thought as a malignant gleam of supreme cruelty flashed in his narrow eyes.

* * *

Tails swayed back and forth in the air like a worm impaled on a fish-hook.

He did not weep for the loss of Sonic, the loss of freedom, the loss of faith in everything he'd once held dear.

There were no more tears left to shed.

An electronic bleep brought some measure of reality seeping back into the pupils of his glassy blue eyes. He lifted them to see a door comprised of thick steel iron. But only for a moment before the hand of his captor yanked it open with little ceremony. The cell beyond hadn't been cleaned in a long time. The thick layer of dirt which formed a carpet on the floor was proof of it. The fox could have hazarded a wry guess as to who the next resident was going to be had he given enough of a damn about anything anymore to do so. And that guess would have been more than a little correct. In he went. His body sank like a burst balloon against the hard surface of the narrow cot he was laid upon. There was nothing in him. Neither the will nor the desire to move an inch. Just the bleak, grey emptiness of all-consuming, hopeless despair.

The sound of retreating footsteps.

The clang of the door being shut once more.

And then that voice

His voice.

"Know what it means, kid?"

"Do I know what what means?" Tails exerted only enough energy to move the muscles of his lips,

"Zero. The meaning of Zero. Well, let me tell you. It's what everything comes from. Light and life. And what everything returns to in the end. Death and darkness. Those opposite numbers, positive and negative, are two sides of the same coin. And that coin is Zero."

The voice of the Hunter Executioner was like a wintry mist. It undulated between the bars of the cell door. Crept across the bare floor and dragged itself over the prone fox's body.

Tails could only smirk. A simple response. And yet the effort it took to produce left him feeling profoundly exhausted.

"What's that? Your shtick? What you tell everyone right before killing them?" he scorned the human.

"I don't get it." Zero's growl rendered the air like a claw of steel, "Ya ran from him? Him? Why not from me? You really think I'd forget what went down between us? Not in a million years, my little furry. Ya really think I'd forget? After what went down? Not in a million years."

And now Tails did indeed tilt his eyes in the Hunter Executioner's direction. His drooping ears couldn't possibly have heard right.

"What in hell are you jabbering about? I've never even bloody met you!" he snapped at the human in a damn-the-consequences tone of voice.

Zero stared into the filth-ridden cell through eyes of marble, cold and hard.

They also became empty as he studied the prisoner's blank, expressionless face.

He really doesn't remember me? Impossible! Either he's lost his memories of the day we first met or...

Without warning, the leather-garbed warrior turned and swept away from that place of darkness.

The brief confrontation had given him a great many things to ponder.

Tails lay staring at the iron bars long after his gaoler had vanished from sight.

The fox was bewildered by the savage accusation which had been leveled at him.

Eventually and inevitably, he gave up trying to decipher its hidden meaning and sank against the barbaric cot as profound mental and physical exhaustion reared their heads like a Hydra.

Wracked with grief and pain beyond endurance, he felt eager to embrace the comforting oblivion of dreamless sleep

"Soooooo. This is where the great endeavor for independence brings you." ribbed a sardonic voice which could have belonged to only one person in the whole world.

Cringing deeply, Tails sat up and shot a look toward the cell directly across from his own.

"Oh no…" he growled as the unpleasant suspicion received confirmation.

"A chilly cell." Snively concluded, reclining on his own spartan cot as though it was a deck-chair on the beach of some distant tropical island.

Tails glared at the loathsome little man.

The mere sight of Snively Kintobor brought such a rancid taste to his mouth that his muzzle twisted into a scowl.

"Soooooo. This is where the scheming for power brings you. The chilly cell right across from mine." he shot right back.

Snively raised a thin eyebrow at this rejoinder, "And to think that you were downright keen to bask in my company such a short while ago!" he said in a tone of casual laidback conversation, "Oh dear, what can the matter be? Aren't I enough of a rebel for you after all, Tails?"

"Oh shut up! Just shut up!" Tails snarled, spitting on the floor in his disgust.

Snively's eyes glinted at the sour-faced fox in appraisal. "Ooh, Mister Snippy! Or ought that be...Mister Kitsune?" he remarked in an exaggeratedly conspiratorial tone.

Tails' stomach shriveled as memories of the scene which had recently taken place in Command Central flashed in his mind with horribly vivid clarity.

"So you know." it wasn't a question but a weary statement of fact.

"I know." Snively replied flatly, declining to repeat their earlier back-and-forth in The Great Forest. "Double O Nothing told me when he brought us in. And if I do say so myself, you're in trouble, kid. Real trouble.

Tails rolled onto his back and lay gazing up at the featureless metal ceiling.

So many things had happened to him since he'd gotten out of bed that morning, too many things for a single day, and all he wanted to do was curl into a ball and return to sleep.

Forget the haunting sound of Sally's voice screaming in near-hatred and escape the memory of burning pain as her cane struck his bare paw.

"You think so, huh?" the fox muttered with leaden disinterest.

"Oh, I know so. I'll go one step further and say that you're screwed. In fact, I'll go even further still. If you say that you're not his miracle child then Naugus will be wrathful to have been made a fool of. And should you claim to be the genuine article then the sorcerer will demand evidence of that grand declaration. One destination lies at the end of your journey no matter which of those paths you choose to take. Pain. And that's if he should be disposed toward mercy. Or rather his own peculiar brand of it." Snively was nothing if not thorough as he painted a picture of the corner the fox was trapped in.

Tails lay in still silence, contemplating the words of his fellow prisoner.

The bars of his tiny cell seemed to be closing in around him, grinding an already ashen spirit into dust.

"Gee, you sure know how to cheer up a guy." his voice would have rippled with sarcasm if it wasn't cracking like old plaster.

"Cheer you up?" Snively smiled nonchalantly, "Kid, why would I want to do a crazy thing like that? This is my brand of brutal directness! The very same kind of brutal directness which you claimed to appreciate! Were it my intention to raise your spirits then I would exclaim something along the lines of 'Never fear, Tails! The Freedom Fighters are most certainly coming for you! Why, they will come bursting through the wall at any second!"

Tails was no longer listening. He was trying to remember. Remember how it had once felt to have a pair of soft arms wrapped around him like gentle, protective, comforting wings. Remember the sound of a sweet voice telling him that there was nothing to be afraid of, that he was loved and wanted. But the memories wouldn't answer his desperate call. The fox felt nothing. Nothing save for bitterness, anger, loneliness and the coldness which was seeping into his bones. Suddenly the fox snapped out of his morbid thoughts.

An influx of intense reddish light had just ambushed his eyes, flooding them like acid which brought with it a sharp and stinging pain.

And heat.

Roasting heat which brought swollen beads of sweat to his forehead.

Tails sat bolt-upright on his cot and stared, unable to even begin the process of comprehending the sight which greeted his aghast eyes.

The fox-cub had drifted off into slumber without even realizing it. That was the only possible explanation for what he was looking at now. Because he was looking at a sphere of flames which floated in the air like a balloon of blinding orange heat. And just like a balloon, it was growing larger with each second that ticked by. Not only that but it was advancing. Inching forward. Slowly but surely coming nearer and nearer to the tip of his black button of a nose.

Tails was no longer lying flat on the cot. He had sprung to his feet and was now backing up frantically against the wall, both arms pressed against that vertical surface of rusty metal. The fox's breath was nonexistent as he found himself helpless to in the raging, swirling face of death. His whiskers were already gone, singed off by their proximity to the uncanny flames. His mouth opened in readiness for a long and drawn-out death cry. Yet as acrid fumes poured into his mouth, the despairing howl was choked like a stream overgrown with waterweeds.

_Why?_

Why fight it?

Why cling to life when there's nothing left for you in this world and never was?

Why not just accept it and let it all end here?

Why?

All fear was swept away until nothing was left.

Nothing but the creepily joyous smile which had just tugged at the muscles of Tails' face. He stepped forward. Not merely accepting the blinding gateway to hell but welcoming it. He couldn't wait to surrender to the pure embrace of its all-consuming fire. Misery and pain would soon be over. Melted just like the fur and flesh from his world-weary bones. And all the fox cub must do was wait. Wait like one sentenced to perish for an unforgivable sin. No more rage over the betrayal of Sally. No more grief over the death of Sonic.

No more.

Only zero.

Yet even the sweet release of death was cruelly denied to him.

The fireball issued a spluttering crackle and then died away like a spider which had been trapped under a glass. And the fox fell to his knees as their bones seemed to vanish along with the mass of consolidated flames. Tails had been spared the fire but it did not feel like an escape. Being condemned to live with the pain he had been so glad to leave behind forever was an even worse sentence than death. A feeling of despair that only grew stronger as the insidious disembodied cackle of Naugus seeped like slime into his ears.

And as he watched everything from the bars of his own cell, Snively gave a whistle.

"Like I said, kid. You can either die cringing on your knees or straight-backed and proud. The choice is yours at the end of the day. But if I were you, perish the thought, then I would make it..." he broke off suddenly, "...kid?"

Tails didn't hear the oily voice of the human.

He didn't hear anything anymore.

Nor even did he feel the rock-hardness of the bare cot beneath his twitching rump.

His nerves had finally broken down; cracked beneath the acute weight of the sheer hell he'd endured for two nightmarish weeks.

Past his furry lips trickled a deranged laugh which flowed between the bars of the cell, bouncing from wall to wall.

As this eerie sound reached his ears, Snively's flesh crawled.

"nOooU eScAaApE…nOt FoR mE! nOt FoR yOu…NoOo EsCaAaPE!" Tails declared in a hideous, shrill, cracking voice.

Another screech of sickening laughter.

Tails had just a little further to go before he needed that strait-jacket Sally had mentioned.

* * *

The Great Unknown.

A place where the days scorched and the nights froze.

The excavation pit had been dug several months ago by the metallic paws of two roboticized Mobians

At the bottom was a plinth of aged stone upon which lay a vault whose sacred contents had been plundered on the very day it had been unearthed.

The rocky soil of the Great Unknown had remained undisturbed since that day of desecration.

Yet tonight, this state of affairs was destined to change drastically.

The vault suffered a mighty blow from its underside. It crumbled instantly and its remains were soon scattered by the invisible tide of the incessantly howling wind. A figure whose body was shrouded in a purple robe came soaring from the hole in which the stone box had lain for countless centuries, soaring high. The peak of ascent was soon reached and he threw his out two flowing majestic wings. Down to earth floated the awakened one as though the mass of his body was comprised of no more weight than the no-longer-existent feather of a Dodo Bird.

After slumbering beneath it for over an eon, he drew a long breath as his tough feet re-established their union with the ground once again. From beneath the rim of the plum-hued hood, his eyes peered about intently. Cutting through the wall of windblown grit like a sword through wet paper. Observing a world wreathed in the silken blackness of midnight. The awakened one could feel his heart welling with sorrow already. The area that surrounded him had been a lush grove thriving with flora and fauna before he'd gone to sleep. Yet the centuries had swept all signs of life irrevocably away and now a mere wasteland lay for miles around his shrouded figure.

The hooded head was shaken as he dismissed his feelings of unbearable regret.

No time was there for the agony of memories.

_The time has come._

_Not for the shadow of ages past but for the light of present day._

_I have awakened and now shall walk these lands once more._

_The time has come._

Without another second of hesitation, the awakened one began his long-awaited journey.

With a will of tempered steel, he marched into the heart of the gathering storm with cloak flapping behind him.

**End Of Chapter**


	20. The Light Of Hope

_Author Notes_ _-_ _Near the end of the first month of the year, near the BEGINNING of the first CHAPTER of the year! Yessiree, I have returned!_

_Hope everyone enjoyed their yule and that equally good times lie ahead – one of my christmas gifts just happened to be J K Rowling's "The Tales of Beedle the Bard"! It bein a real slim volume, I finished it in half an hour – and in a way totally positive, wished that it coulda been longer! The short stories are so wonderful, I liked em way better than many classic fairy tales – "The Wizard And The Hopping Pot", I can really relate to! The very last weekend, I wuz messin around with this personal alarm doo-hickey – I set it off by accident, then spent twenty five frantic minutes tryin to deactivate it! Just as despair wuz settin in, I realised that the pin simply needed reinsertin – one of those things ya later laugh about or one of those things we'd all just like to FORGET about, I'll let ya'll decide that un! "Babbitty Rabbitty And Her Cackling Stump" wuz perhaps my most favourite, I reckon! A rabbit hoppin away with a wand between grinnin jaws, that is the distilled essence of awesomeness – I also noticed somethin interestin, even eerie ya might say! Professor Dumbledore's notes mention another book, one tellin the life story of a werewolf – the title of which is, "Hairy Snout, Human Heart"!_

_I also received the books "The Princess Bride" and "Watership Down"! "Inconceivable" I cry to any who cast aspersion upon the timeless excellence of the former! "Silflay hraka, u embleer rah" I denounce any who dare pour scorn upon the latter! Anyway, that's more than enough gab for now! I'll leave ya'll to the latest instalment, hope that ya'll enjoy!_

**Chapter Eighteen**

**The Light Of Hope; The Heart Of Oblivion**

_Princess Sally came home._

_As she stepped into the elevator, the bones of her young body bemoaned the unaccustomed hardship they had recently endured. Her dirt-ringed eyes were sharp as she pulled the descent lever, knowing that she must make haste lest she be discovered sneaking back into the village._

_The squirrel maid descended into the great ravine that contained Knothole Village._

_The instant that firm ground was back beneath her feet, she moved like a shadow toward the huts of the sleeping villagers. She loped through the doorway of her own and slid into bed, pulling over herself a blanket which felt divine after the events of yesterday._

_For what little remained of that morning, the exhausted child didn't think at all. Though she had no idea of how much time went by, the sun was suddenly there to coax her eyelids with its golden light._

_And it wasn't the only visitor to enter her hut, "So there yuh are! Ah've been lookin' everywhere!" exclaimed a sweet voice._

_Sally lifted her head from the pillow which felt like glue, pragmatically narrowing her eyes against the brilliance which shone in them. She raised a paw to her mouth and yawned, her fingers proving not enough to hold back the unbidden breath which poured out of her._

_"Good…morning…Bunnnie."_

_Bunnie Rabbit gave a delighted laugh at the amusing sight, her long ears blocking the rays of sunlight which got their revenge by causing her ribbons to glow. "Can't really blame yuh for sleepin' late, Sally Girl! Jest about nobody went tuh bed at the proper hour last night 'cos they were so excited about the little darlin'! Ah wo's too, come tuh that!" she exclaimed, "Ah couldn't get tuh sleep for ages, Ah wanted so bad tuh see him again! Yuh'll never believe it; they're sayin' he's a Kitsune Fox! One gander at his tails n' Mrs. Campagnol was on her knees prayin'!"_

_Sally permitted a smile though there wasn't an ounce of humor in it, brooding about the true origin of the cub who seemed so miraculous to everyone else. The squirrel had decided in the ungodly hours of last night, this knowledge which she alone possessed must remain hers forever._

_She knew the pain of loss only too well and would lie until her tongue grew black in order to protect that innocent child from it. Whatever it might cost her, she would keep the death of his mother a secret until the day she died._

_Even now, she knew that it would never be easy to deceive her dearest friends. But there it was, she had promised to protect the cub of the vixen and would not break her word._

_Bunnie edged nearer to the bed with a conspiratorial look on her face, "Sally Girl, can yuh tell me?" she asked curiously, "About where yuh found the little fella, Ah mean?"_

_Sally lifted her eyes and gazed steadily at the rabbit, knowing that she might as well get started now. "Oh, Sonic took it upon himself to go to The Great Swamp looking for some magical mine stuffed with lollipops and lemon drops." In a voice as cool as cress, she lied to her friend without hesitation. "When he decided to go body-skipping across a lake, the two of us became separated. I tried to find him and found the fox-cub instead. I heard him crying and followed the sound to where he lay; he had been left on the ground with that chord sticking out from him."_

_Bunnie breathed a gasp of horror, her paws clapping against her cheeks. "Oh mah, now Ah understand why Rosie looked so mad! As a matter of fact, Ah feel mad too!" as shock faded from them, anger flashed in those eyes. "Leaving the poor little mite tuh go hungry! How could any mama do something so heartless? If Ah evah run into her, Ah'll kick her bushy…"_

_Sally gave a deep wince, nauseated to hear the vilification of the courageous vixen. "Oh Bunnie, be fair! We have no idea what…" the squirrel knew that it was useless yet she had to try, she would have felt like the worst kind of traitor for remaining silent._

_Bunnie cut off the squirrel, "Ah don't care what the sob story is, parents are supposed tuh love their kids!" her voice was trembling with emotion, "Ah won't evah forgive her, she deserves tuh die!"_

_"Well…she doesn't matter, does she?" Sally experienced and suppressed another violent cringe, struggling not to cry in the face of that horribly ironic statement. "After all…he has us, doesn't he?"_

_As far as everyone was concerned, the vixen had never existed._

_She was dead and buried._

_Slain by a cruel world_

_Interred by a young squirrel maiden's paws._

_Bunnie gradually calmed herself, soothed by those words. "Yuh right, Sally Girl! He doesn't need the likes of her, we're gonna look after him!" drawing the back of her paw over her moist eyes, she turned and faced the door leading outside. "C'mon, let's go right now tuh see Miles!"_

_Sally stared at the back of the rabbit, "Did you say Miles? Just who is Miles?" she repeated the name which her expression had been wiped blank to hear._

_"Yuh hadn't heard, Sally Girl?" Bunnie responded to the strangled question. "That's the little fella's name, Miles!"_

_Sally was on her feet, fatigue lifting in an instant as air came rushing into her lungs. "And who says so?" she demanded, keeping her voice steady only with the greatest effort._

_"Rosie of course." Bunnie didn't notice that something was amiss with her friend, her mind firmly on the fox-cub. "She figured it suited him."_

_Sally opened her mouth and then closed it again._

_Lightning had just flashed in her hardened eyes._

_Last night, she had worked her paws off without one syllable of complaint in order to bury the body of the dead vixen. And as she had been getting dirty and tired, Rosie had swooped in to claim the fox-cub whom she had delivered into this world._

_The squirrel went with the rabbit to the elderly woodchuck's hut, fuming mightily. There she saw the fox-cub whom the village now knew as Miles._

_With the arrival of this new wonder child, life was magical in Knothole over the weeks that followed. Something was rekindled in the hearts of all to see a new life begin in this world gone insane._

_The elderly villagers felt years lift from their shoulders. To breathe the air which was imbued with such happiness and optimism, the children walked around as though there were springs on their feet._

_Sally alone was untouched by this spirit as she tried to move on with her life. Weave daisy chains in the meadow with Bunnie and tinker with scavenged pieces of machine alongside Rotor, smile tolerantly in response to the attentions of Antoine and broaden the search for the mythical sugar mine with Sonic._

_But the squirrel was simply going through the motions of a life that was no longer her own. She could not become lost to these pastimes with her mind constantly occupied by the orphaned fox-cub._

_Her lips remained sealed for three weeks, until she could no longer keep quiet._

_Rosie glanced across her shoulder as she sensed the presence of another, "Ho ho, another visitor!" she gave a warm chuckle, "But what brings you here, Princess? You should be enjoying this most lovely day outside with your friends!"_

_Sally boldly walked in, peering around the hut. On the patchwork blanket of the cozy bed, there sat a basket which had been woven from wicker._

_"I would discuss something with you, Rosie." Sally said, resisting an urge to go over to the basket._

_Rosie seemed amused by this formally spoken request and turned in order to bestow her full attention upon her royal guest, "Why certainly, You're Highness!" she said with an expression of utmost gravity on her face, "Until the milk for young Miles's dinner is warmed up, consider my humble ears on loan to you!"_

_Sally never quite believed afterwards the words she spoke now, "Since it was I who found him, I feel a sense of obligation to Miles." to her own ears, it might have been someone else speaking. "That is why I have come; so that I may contribute to his upbringing."_

_Rosie's expression was one of pure astonishment which then melted into understanding and kind patience, "Princess, such matters are best left to those older and wiser than yourself!" her smile was as warm as the milk she now poured into a bottle for the infant they were discussing, "You must not dwell upon where Miles came from, he is safe now and shall be given all the love a cub needs! You need do no more, having done more than enough already!"_

_Sally recognized the dismissal yet refused to give up. "Rosie, please listen to me. I never knew my mother just as he never will know his. It will be hard for him, which is why I want to be there." Her voice was calm and strong as she delivered this unrehearsed speech straight from the heart, "Because I understand his loss. Please let me be there for the sake of Miles."_

_Rosie had opened her mouth to deliver another gentle yet firm refusal but as she listened to the plea of the squirrel girl, her lips quivered with emotion as she felt moved beyond words. "Princess...!" the woodchuck whispered as she felt the years fall away from her shoulders, "That was so...!"_

_Sally smiled sweetly, "May I be there, Rosie?" she beseeched._

_Rosie's heart was a battleground, "But how could you ever...when you yourself are..." she struggled to protest, "You would have no idea what to..."_

_Sally turned and peered into the basket._

_Miles's smile was brighter than the sun as he lay there as snug as a bug in a rug. The Princess smiled in return and stooped to kiss his nose, knowing he believed in her even if nobody else did._

_Something profound existed between them. And she knew in her heart that he felt it too although he didn't understand why._

_Sally made a graceful return to full height and faced the nanny again, "Then show me." her voice sounded no older and yet far wiser than it had been mere seconds before. "Teach me everything." so that this beautiful child would have a mother, she was ready to cross the breach into adulthood._

_Rosie could protest no longer as her excuses ran dry. She sighed in regret and began the peculiar tutelage._

_"...I suppose there are one or two things you could do to help." the woodchuck submitted, her voice sounding as distant as the retreating tide as she sensed that no force on Mobius could prevent what was happening here._

_From that day, many things changed._

_Sally spent most waking hours with Rosie and Miles, having forever traded away the play of a child for the work of a mother. Setting her shoulder against the plough, she learned to care for the fox-cub._

_Rosie was a constant presence, guiding her along every step. The woodchuck supervised every moment Sally spent with Miles, her face taut and disapproving._

_As the days passed, her expression gradually softened. She had very much underestimated the determination of the squirrel, having been certain that it could not last long and that her apprentice would soon lose heart._

_The woodchuck had been ready to resume guardianship of the fox, tactfully congratulating the efforts of a surely despondent squirrel. This had not happened as the Princess listened to every bit of advice which was offered to her and learned from every mistake she made along the way, gaining more experience and confidence by the day._

_As the fourth week of this finally came, Rosie sighed again. "Sally dear?" she began._

_Sally looked up from her current task, "Yes, Rosie?" she asked, vaguely registering the most informal mode of address that was now being used._

_The past three weeks had been fraught to say the least. She had been kept busy from dawn until midnight. Fighting against weariness all the time. Constantly tending to the needs of Miles until her paws and head ached. Too busy for playing with friends or anything outside of making sure that Miles was fed his meals and bathed routinely. Too bad since that was what she had vowed to do and what she would do if it killed her._

_"A gift for you." Rosie pulled something out of her pocket and offered it to the squirrel with just a hint of hesitation, "Here."_

_Sally studied the thing with bemused interest; it was small and oblong in shape. "And what is this…gift?" she asked warily, putting the sleepy Miles back into his basket and setting aside the bottle she'd been feeding him from._

_Rosie held out the strange object which nestled in her palm as though it was sacred, "Why not find out for yourself?" her voice lowered reverentially._

_The atmosphere in the hut now seemed charged with solemnity._

_Sally hesitated a moment as she eyed her strange gift. Then she reached out and took possession of it._

_It felt warm to the touch as she turned it over in her paw, studying every curious inch of the thing. Three salient facts sprang to her mind as she did so._

_The thing was comprised of two interlocked segments. Three buttons were located on the lower segment, two of them circular and the third a slender bar._

_Last of all was the clearest thing..._

_"It's metal!" Sally exclaimed as she looked up with disbelief on her face, "A machine?"_

_"Press that button." Rosie nodded with a mysterious smile, "You will see." she pointed her finger at the strange device which seemed to have come from nowhere._

_Sally looked at the central bar in momentary hesitation before she obeyed. The result was immediate not to mention startling._

_This simple touch brought the device to life, causing the segments to come apart like two smooth wings. She gasped to behold the wonder that was suddenly in her hand, unsure whether or not to believe this._

_It seemed at first like a calculator, having a miniature keypad and a tiny screen..._

_**"Good afternoon, You're Highness."** said a cool and pleasant voice which reminded the squirrel of vanilla ice-cream for some reason._

_Sally gasped and nearly dropped the machine, "It…it…it speaked!" she squeaked incredulously._

_"Not it, dear!" Rosie could not help giggling at the look on her face, allowing that lapse into atrocious grammar to slide in her amusement. "She!" the woodchuck pulled herself together and said formally; "Sally, meet Nicole!"_

_Sally fumbled for her jaw as she gazed at the device. "…h-hello N-Nicole!" she said as she found it._

_**"Your Highness, I have waited for this day."** the machine said, its synthesized voice clearly modeled after a female. **"It is lovely to meet you at last, I must say."**_

_"You have waited to meet me?" Sally recovered herself enough to ask in astonishment._

_"Nicole may be small to the eye but she maintains the largest database in existence. She was programmed by your father to guide you should anything ever befall him. On that terrible day, I made certain to recover her from the royal palace..." Rosie's voice faltered as it ventured into painful territory but, knowing that an explanation was necessary, the woodchuck soldiered on. "I have consulted discretely with her ever since. With the aid of her extensive knowledge, I prevented many villagers from eating poisoned mushrooms. I planned to present her to you on your eighteenth birthday but, of course, the situation has changed. She has much advice to offer in regard to raising children and many other things besides. I shall rest easier knowing that you will have her if anything should ever happen to me…"_

_'Daddy made her for me, made her to help me.' Sally's face was thoughtful as she realized that her father was present even if not in body._

_She felt calmness descending over her with this knowledge._

_It was like a blessing from heaven itself._

_"Nicole." Sally addressed the computer once more, this time with much more confidence. "There is something I would ask you."_

_**"And it shall be my great pleasure to answer, Your Highness." **Nicole responded at once, **"Whatever problem you may encounter on your journey to the throne and beyond, my function is to resolve."**_

_Sally nodded in understanding. "Then this is my first request, Nicole." a smile graced her muzzle. "I would like you to call me Sally just as everyone else does. In the Great Forest, we all help each other." In this moment, she was no child but every bit the Princess. "Do you understand? You are not my servant; you are one of my friends."_

_Nicole did hesitate now and the silence was laden with meaning, **"As you wish…Sally."** she responded in the end although clearly she didn't understand at all._

_Sally pursed her lips in thought, "On the subject of names, there is a cub who needs one." she began, "Would you be so kind as to assist us, Nicole?"_

_Rosie winced._

_She had known this moment would come since she had surrendered guardianship of the fox-cub._

_**"I do not understand, Sally. Would you not be ideally suited for this undertaking, you who are dedicated to the cub in question?"** Nicole met the question with another, her tone no different from before. **"Rosie has explained everything to me and I am aware that you know the child better than anyone. Who could do better than yourself in regard to naming him?"**_

_"Had you asked some time ago, I would have agreed but having been given time to consider, I now know it is not so." Sally explained her dilemma, "There are so many people whom will watch over him and to whom he means so many different things, and I alone cannot name one whom is loved by so many. We could hold a vote, I supposed but if we chose a name not true to him, what then?"_

_**"I see."** Nicole hesitated a second time, struggling with an unfamiliar concept. **"Please wait a moment."**_

_Her buttons lit up like merrily dancing fireflies. As she became more used to the little computer, the squirrel would realize that it signified deep concentration on her part._

**_"Sally, may I suggest the name Prower?"_**

_"Prower?" Sally blinked, taken aback. "What in all the world..."_

**_"Your people lived divided in an age long ago, each species speaking its own language rather than one shared by all. The Era Of Wilderness, a mostly forgotten time when Mobians fought each other for territory which only the most brutal survived to claim. In that battle for the planet, four races were the most aggressive; rhinoceros and bear, ram and wolf. Yet none proved victorious in the end. On the day of the final senseless struggle, light sprung forth in the form of a lone warrior who stood between the four savage legions. A fox determined to hold back a never-ending tide of blood-drenched darkness challenged the four warlords to unarmed combat. The savage chiefs strode forward, each eager to prove his might. And on that day, two miracles were beheld. Not only did the fox defeat his adversaries, his mind sharper than their claws and body quicker than their horns. As the lone warrior faced their leaders alone, the watching warriors were so inspired that long before the fight was done, their loyalties lay with the fox. The Mobian Race was united at last, an epoch which led to the creation of Mobotropolis."_**

_Sally had listened in silence to the unfolding story, "This makes for fascinating listening, Nicole." she said honestly, not having expected to receive a history-lesson. "But just how does it relate to the cub?"_

_**"Prower is a word from the vulpine language, Sally."** Nicole answered the question at last, her smooth as silk. **"Translated into the dialect you now speak, it becomes 'Light Of Hope'."**_

_"Hope, exactly what he has given our village!" Sally liberated her breath in the softest of gasps as her eyes widened in delighted wonder, "Oh, that is more beautiful than anything!" she could feel the name fitting right into place as though it had been made for the tiny cub, "Prower, the perfect second name for him!"_

_Rosie gasped, "Did you say his second name?" she exclaimed, her voice raw and trembling with emotion, "Oh Princess, I thank you!"_

_Sally's eyes were pools of compassion as she turned and faced her nanny once more, "...Miles. That was the name of your baby, wasn't it?" she whispered, remembering what she had heard Mrs. Fairfeather gossiping about in the local store. "The one who…"_

_Rosie bowed her head and buried her face in her paws, "I am truly sorry, I was so selfish!" she wept, "Once it popped into my foolish head, I simply could not think of another!"_

_Sally went over and hugged her beloved guardian around the waist, comforting the elderly woodchuck as tears coursed freely down her cheeks. She was smiling, filled with the warmth of the love she felt for Rosie._

_"Miles Prower." the squirrel girl breathed, never having felt more certain of anything._

_**"Miles Prower…do you think that is wise, Sally?"** Nicole practically blurted, her voice sounding oddly awkward. **"After all, this is an important matter…should you not give it more consideration?"**_

_Sally smiled down at the soundly asleep fox-cub, knowing that the vixen was watching over them both. "I am positive, Nicole." she said in what was practically her first ever royal proclamation. "From this day, his name shall be…"_

_"…Tails?"_

_Sally jolted back to wakefulness and instantly sitting bolt upright, gasping for air as though she had just resurfaced from deep underwater. Her wide eyes were like saucers of sapphire as they darted around, fear within them._

Her surroundings came into focus like water ceasing to ripple and as they did, the dread blessedly subsided. The squirrel princess was gazing at two rows of neatly-made beds, conscious of the figures which lay sleeping in them.

White candles stood upon tables beside the beds, weaving their rich veil of radiance over the infirmary.

Sally peered down at herself and her face reddened with embarrassment, "Oh!" she gasped, squirming in the frilly pink nightgown that she had been put in while asleep. "I feel like such a kit!"

"Just right, I dare say." Rosie said grimly, stepping over to the bed of the squirrel with her arms folded over her bosom, "You certainly have been behaving like one of late, after all."

"Rosie! You're here! I'm so happy!" Sally felt love cascading through her at the sight of the nanny she had just been dreaming about, "What they tried to do to me…a horror out of some nightmare…I was so terrified..."

Visions of laughing hyena jaws filled with slavering teeth ripped through her mind and set her bottom lip quivering. The squirrel just knew that she would burst into tears if she allowed her tongue to fall still for even a moment.

Rosie leaned toward the babbling squirrel and put both arms around her, "Do not think about it any longer, you are safe." the woodchuck murmured, stroking her hair. "I shall look after you just as always I have."

Sally gulped as though she was swallowing Robotropolis, feeling more like a kit by the second. "I never knew my mother; you have always been my mother! But you must feel so ashamed of me..." the princess whispered brokenly, reliving the shame of her recent words and deeds.

Rosie drew a long deep breath as she recalled all that she had heard ever since that afternoon, "Fredric has told me everything, Princess. And quite frankly, I am astonished by your actions." her answer was neither harshly condemning nor wholly forgiving, "Not merely by your well-intentioned deception, mind you. Your apparent lack of confidence in me is somewhat disturbing."

"Rosie, I wanted to tell you but every time I tried..." Sally shut her eyes as an intense clash of emotions took place in her tortured mind, "Tails, I watched him grow up and was afraid of what might happen if…" she was glad beyond words that the woodchuck finally knew everything and yet felt horribly afraid of how her past actions might now be judged, "So my mouth would always close before I could. And it went on like that. Year after year. It just went on."

"Princess, hiding a problem never made it go away." Rosie's voice was chiding as she hushed the squirrel, "Though I may risk appearing hypocritical in saying so, taking into account my own errors of judgment…"

Sally burst into harsh laughter as the shame overwhelmed her, "No hypocrisy, Rosie!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms over her head. "None whatsoever, you were wrong to trust me! I have been no mother to Tails, I…"

Rosie headed off any further hysteria from the squirrel, "That was not my meaning. I spoke rather of this morning. I knew that Miles was not ill but hiding himself away." the nanny confessed in a profoundly weary voice, "I forced him to abandon the charade in hopes that his problem would solve itself. And that was my error, Dear Princess. I failed to confront the problem head-on even though I knew that that child was in pain…"

Sally opened her eyes as surprise filled them, "Oh Rosie, how could you have known?" she exclaimed.

Rosie leaned closer, wisdom shining in her eyes as she explained further. "I might have asked what the matter was. I might have tried to help Miles. But I remained silent just like you yourself did. As did he. Miles chose to be alone rather than seek help from his friends. I say this neither to diminish my responsibility nor to absolve him of his own. Everyone can make a mistake and become punished for the crime of silence."

Sally pondered these words although they offered no consolation to her, knowing that hers was the greatest burden even though other people might share the burden. She must work to close the gulf of misunderstanding and anger between herself and Tails, having been the one to create it.

If not her, then nobody could.

"I just don't see how." Sally concluded; her voice a whisper that was fainter than the most distant wind. "After what I did to him, he would never listen to me."

"You must rest now in body and mind. I take my leave of you, Your Highness." Rosie rose to full height from the wooden floor and stepped back from her patient,

The nanny leaned forward, hesitating as though propriety held her frozen. Deciding to hell with propriety, she planted a loving kiss on the forehead of the royal squirrel.

"Such a kit…oh!" Sally gasped and turned to call after the departing nanny, "Rosie, stay a moment!"

Rosie turned from the doorway, surprise written over her face. "My Princess?" she prompted in great concern, wondering what this could mean.

"The vixen." Sally said, her heart pounding as she cut to the heart of the matter. "Could she have been of noble blood?"

"No, that is impossible." Rosie's voice was like a knife lying in a kitchen drawer, flat and yet with an unmistakable edge. "Pray excuse me, Your Highness. I have much to do..."

She turned away, red cape swishing and back stiffer than an upper-lip. Like a pair of twin torrential skies, her eyes were clouded with grave reservation as she swept out of the infirmary before the squirrel could say anything more.

Sally watched the woodchuck go, unable to understand what had just taken place. _'Rosie?'_ she thought.

At a loose end, the squirrel peered at her surroundings.

Nicole sprang to the eye, sitting on her bedside table. Sally felt a wave of affection as she recalled her dream of moments ago.

Draped over a nearby clothes horse was none other than her vest, the material quite crumpled. Her combat boots stood below it, waiting for her to wear them again as casually as though her horrifying ordeal out in the woods had also been a dream.

"It's been so verah long…"

Sally clutched the table in order to avoid falling out of bed and landing head-first on the floor.

Her startled eyes gazed across her shoulder and fell upon the person in the neighboring bed.

Bunnie threw aside her own cotton blanket and revealed a nightgown of finest green silk.

She returned the gaze of the incredulous squirrel from beneath a pair of very heavy eyelids.

"…that Ah plum forgot that Rotor's real name is Freddy, butter mah biscuit!" the rabbit concluded, her voice sounding rougher than an old brick.

The squirrel would not have recognized it had she not been looking at her friend.

"Bunnie?" Sally gasped in disbelief.

Bunnie sighed, "Mah throat feels like its roasting! And all because of that big lug over yonder!" she indicated the bed directly across from her own with the tersest of nods.

Sally leaned forward for a better look and her lips melted into a joyful smile at the sight of a familiar figure lying in the bed next to the one which had just been indicated. Sonic the Hedgehog lay soundly asleep and snoring so loudly that she chided herself for not having noticed until now.

Only out of fear that he might break in his current condition did she resist the impulse to run over and hug him tightly. Her sky-blue eyes turned from the sleeping hedgehog to his neighbor. As they fell upon this person, the squirrel reached over and clutched the table for support once more.

Antoine lay before her.

Stiller than any living thing she'd ever seen.

Either that or too still to be alive.

This thought delivered a stab of fear to her heart which was knocked aside by delirious relief as her ears pricked up, having just caught the faintest of sounds. Labored breath, the sound of an immortal soul which clung by its very fingernails to its earthly body.

The coyote was fighting.

Fighting for his life.

There was no other description for which did the sight justice.

The guardsman uniform passed down from his father hung over yet another clothes-horse.

Years had gone rolling by like tumbleweed since last she had seen him without it.

The squirrel remembered with vivid clarity the day it had first been worn, how Antoine had been teased mercilessly by the other villagers who had warned him that they couldn't afford a big tip. How the coyote had ignored each and every mean-spirited barb thrown his way, certain that wearing the uniform of one of the bravest Mobians ever to serve in the royal army would bring great fortune to the first mission of The Freedom Fighters.

Sally looked at the rabbit with horror etched into her face, "Oh Goddesses, how did you two get like this?"

"Tails's hut was one of those that got burned. And Colonel Clod over there decided tuh go charging in." Bunnie replied, her expression as distant as the heavens above as she relieved every moment of that living nightmare.

"What?" Sally gasped, "But Tails wasn't even…"

Bunnie interrupted the squirrel and her voice had taken on an edge of unmistakable anger, "He was jest standing there when Ah got inside. Searching through the bookshelf for something or other."

Sally closed her eyes and searched for memories of the last fortnight, "The medal he gave Tails? The one his father received? He went over there with it, I was watching from my window..." she murmured, remembering slowly.

Bunnie's eyes narrowed into slivers of emerald disgust, "Ah managed tuh get him out before the house was brought down. The next thing Ah remember is wakin' up here. According tuh Charlie Boy, more of me must've been roboticized than we thought. And whatever it did tuh mah lungs, they were tough enough tuh handle the smoke. Ah'm home n' dry, he said. But Antoine? Not so much. They got some plastic mask for him n' pressed it over his face. Ah thought he was a goner but then he started coughin' his guts up." she said flatly.

The squirrel could feel the pain and betrayal in her damaged voice

She couldn't imagine how the rabbit must be feeling.

"Bunnie, you know Antoine. What may seem silly to us, he considers of greatest importance." Sally said, unable to believe the words now tumbling forth from her lips. With her own feelings in such a disastrous tangle at the moment, she really had no business trying to sort out those of someone else.

Bunnie shook her head in disbelief, "He risked his life for a chunk of metal, Sally Girl! He nearly left me all alone in this world right after he told me that…" her voice cracked and then shattered, giving way to silence.

"Told you…?" Sally began to ask in bewilderment.

Then her eyes widened in comprehension.

"…oh! Bunnie, that is so wonderful!" the squirrel beamed.

Bunnie swung around to face the squirrel and, in doing so, revealed a face which was a portrait of turmoil. "Ah thought so too, Sally Girl, Ah thought so too. But now, Ah jest don't know. Ah don't know whether Ah love him back. Ah don't know whether Ah ever really knew him." her voice was choking with anguish.

Sally reached and gave the shoulder of the rabbit a reassuring squeeze, "You know him! He's our Antoine; sincere feelings expressed through clumsy actions! That's just the way he is and always has been! Just as he knows you! You're our Bunnie; pure kindness and unbreakable loyalty in equal measure! That's why he loves you...and why I...am proud to be able to call you a friend!" her voice was strong with conviction as she smiled warmly.

Bunnie gazed at the paw for a moment.

Wide-eyed. Silent.

Then she reached up to clasp it in her own.

Bunnie met the eyes of the squirrel and smiled, "Sally Girl, yuh mah best friend in the whole world. Ah'm happy that yuh here now." she whispered shyly.

Sally leaned across the gap between beds and pulled the rabbit into a tight hug. The gloom of the hut seemed to melt away before the radiance of the smile which tugged at her lips. The rift between the two friends had finally been mended. And not too soon either so far as the squirrel was concerned.

"And I'm glad to be here with you! Even if you do want to kick my ass!" she giggled.

Bunnie returned the embrace with her arm of flesh and blood, "Sally Girl, Ah would do anything for yuh. Except turn a blind eye when yuh do wrong like yuh did today with Tails. It's not been a swell couple of weeks for any of us so we'll let it slide jest this cotton-pickin' once. But jest spare the rod from now on, understand?" she asked gently but firmly.

"I'd let you whack me with it if you hadn't snapped it. I will never again raise a paw to Tails in anger or any other emotion. And you have my most sincere word on that." Sally lowered her head and closed her eyes in dignified acceptance of the chastisement.

"Well then, maybe Ah didn't need tuh say that." Bunnie gave a throaty laugh, "Sally Girl, yuh the sistah Ah always wanted. And Tails is the brother Ah always wanted. Ah love yuh both so verah much. And Ah always will."

"Oh Bunnie, how I always wanted a sister!" Sally knew that tears were welling in her eyes as joy filled her heart to the point of bursting, "You have no idea! Tails…when he is found, I'll be able to breathe much easier!"

"Find Tails…what the hoo-haw?" Bunnie's flawless eyes grew wide in startled surprise, "Sally Girl, we don't need tuh find the little darlin'! We know where he is!"

Sally felt an insidious coldness stealing over her, "We…do?" she suddenly felt choked by nausea.

Pity welled in Bunnie's eyes as she realized that her friend was unaware of the truth.

She disengaged from the hug and put her mismatching paws on the squirrel's pink-clad shoulders.

"Sally Girl, don't think right now. Yuh need tuh rest. Lie down."

Sally shoved away both soothing paws in refusal to be pressed down against the straw-filled mattress of the bed. Every splinter of bone and piece of skin which formed her body was slowly shaking with horror. The echo of a deep grave voice had just come seeping back into her head

"Your house is on fire and your children are gone." Ari had intoned out in the depths of the forest.

All warmth fled from her fearful eyes as the ghastly truth emerged.

"Tails is a captive of Naugus! By the breath of Mobius, why are we sitting here doing nothing?" Sally shrieked like an insane banshee.

The white cotton blanket was sent flying across the room as she leapt to her feet, driven almost feral through sheer terror. The squirrel stood on the bed, her chest rising and falling with as each feverish breath she took was fuelled by yet another ghastly image of what fate could befall Tails in Naugus's captivity.

Bunnie's bed crumpled beneath her robotic feet as she stood up and bounded over to the squirrel that had just embarked upon a descent into hysteria. She reached over and grasped the shoulders of the squirrel anew, ignoring the sound of another bed splintering beneath her. She could repair the wooden frames later, stopping her friend from doing anything disastrously stupid was something that could not wait. Her green eyes shone with intensity as they met those of unspeakable anguish.

"Why are we lying around? Because we need to rest after what happened today! We'll jest get ourselves killed or worse if we go rushin' off now! And where will Tails be then, Sally Girl? Yuh tell me that!" the rabbit reasoned between clenched teeth.

Sally glared ferociously, eyes narrowing as though she would fight her way out of here if need be. She was more than ready for that. Ready to run through the night in her frilly nightgown and head straight for the city with a crazed howl tearing her throat apart. Agonizing pain was spreading through her heart and its root was the absence of Tails. So long as he remained in the grasp of that monster, she had no earthly business lying in bed.

"Anything might have happened by now! He could already be…" Sally's voice faltered as the horrific fantasies claimed her mind once more.

"Think, Sally Girl! We know he isn't roboticized! We've got that awful thing right here! And he knows we're coming, yuh can trust me on that! So yuh gotta be strong or else yuh'll let the sugah fox down, you hear?"

"I don't ask you to come and gamble away your life along with me! Tails is suffering! All due to my crime of silence! It is for me to make this right if my very my very life should be the price!"

Bunnie could find no argument to these impassioned words.

She knew she would have felt exactly the same.

Heck, she did.

"Yuh know, maybe we ought tuh go. Just the two of us. After all, we're Tails's aunts. None of the others would be in danger and Ah could watch yuh back." despite the unquenchable fire which still raged in her lungs, her voice was sweet as honey fresh from the hive.

"I must say, I have never felt so touched by anything. Yet nobody shall be going anywhere for the present, Miss Rabbot." a deep voice remarked from the doorway.

Sally spun around like an over-enthusiastic ballerina.

"Father!" she gasped.

King Acorn was standing there with a look of deep solemnity engraved upon his face. A storm no longer thundered within his clear eyes. Yet they were stern as he gazed upon his daughter for the first time in hours. There was something he had been waiting to say to her all day. And it seemed that now the time had arrived.

The sovereign stepped over the threshold of the infirmary. His paws were clasped behind his back. His mustached mouth was set into the severest frown imaginable as he stood looking at the squirrel girl. The period of silence which followed was short yet excruciating while it lasted.

"I have listened and marveled at your words. And now you shall listen to mine."

* * *

The awakened one trekked onward beneath the starless sky.

The excavation pit had been left far behind by now.

The wind howled as though in relentless grief against the traveler.

He grasped the side of his purple robe and withheld it from the ferocious current with ease.

His other hand remained within the garment and guarded the contents of his hidden pocket.

He moved onward through the wall of swirling grit as the hostile elements pitted themselves against him.

His bare feet itched with mild discomfort as the barren earth caressed their soles.

Coverings for them would need to be sought when time permitted such a trivial matter.

When time so permitted, coverings of some kind would need to be found for them.

'It beats louder with every step I take.

The heart of oblivion.'

**End Of Chapter**

_Author Notes - Now before anyone asks this, Sally alone did not raise Tails – once the former was convinced that the latter wuz serious about it, Rosie and Sally formed kinda an alliance! Of course, lotsa help wuz provided by their fellow villagers – wise woman once said, it takes a village to raise a child! Or this case, a two tailed fox cub – but hey, I digress!_

_By the byyy, did ya'll know there's now a page devoted to SatAM over on TV Tropes? It's pretty damn sweet, though I'd hafta disagree with its assertion that Tails wuz little more than an extra - matter of fact, I'd say the evolution of his role wuz pretty neat! In Season One of the show, he wuz just a kid who idolised Sonic – as of Season Two, he'd become a Freedom Fighter in training! And as we know thru the miracle of archived chatlogs, his destiny woulda been achieved come Season Three – if ya really think about it, he got older with each Season! Seasons kinda bein the key word, seein as they're about time passin!_

_Freedom Writers talk a lot, whew! Signin off time, I rather reckon! Hope ya'll enjoyed this chapter, I'll begin work soon on the next! Til then…_

_Keep On Freedom Fightin! (In the case of Freedom WRITIN, be sure ya'll take enough rest!)_


	21. To End Many Things

_Author Notes - Here I am, the author notes!! And here ya'll GO, another chapter of MBMH!! (By the by, in case ya wonderin why this has been uploaded again; I kinda had trouble doin so yesterday, eventually sendin an email to the support guy!! I got a response later, sayin there wuz a corruption in the database and that I should upload it again!! Anyway, sorry for any confusion!!)_

_Ever wonder how it mighta been, had they ever created a SatAM Sonic game?? Ya'll have seen the never produced proto-type video over on Youtube, right?? Ya know, the one that woulda played like a cross between "Sonic the Hedgehog" and "Metal Gear Solid"?? Saddest phrase in any human language; what might have been!! Know what I reckon woulda been to die for, a game that wuz a cross between "Sonic the Hedgehog" and "Shining Force"!! Seriously, the way SF games show ya party members dukin it out with evildoers?? Jus picture Bunnie upper-cuttin or karate-kickin a SWATbot while that victorious theme from the show plays, tell me ya wouldn't ascend to Nirvana in that moment!!_

_Thass enough for now, hope ya'll enjoy this!!_

**Chapter Nineteen**

**The Mouth Of Madness; To End Many Things**

_The sound of footsteps, growing louder with each second...it had also grown familiar, over those hellish months._

_Snively faced the doorway, lowering that ink smeared clipboard – in the flicker of defective lighting, that face resembled a ghoul mask. Callow youth was long gone, punished by the school of life – beaten into a shape beyond recognition, of another nature was this beast. At those newly arrived, eyes now stared unnervingly – ill nature saturating every particle, the very air seemed nervous. Six SWATbots had entered, walking shadows of oppression – sandwiched between literally heartless captors, three Mobians now waited._

_A coarse faced turtle was the leftmost captive, fear in those beady eyes of his – he peered over that scuffed beak, a shell full of nerves. At farthest right of this troup, an ermine forced himself not to gag – ringed by patches of night black, his eyes burned with defiant hate. Human dwelt not long upon mismatched pair, eye roving to the very middle – only then did it stop dead, captivated by the one who stood there._

_A vixen towered over the others, falling just short of their mechanical wardens – vermillion painted silk her pelt was, fire shining in the darkness. An elegant gown she was clad in, trailing across the floor so cold – cut low was that bodice, trimmed with frilly lace. Long gloves encased graceful arms, whiter than the moon – she lowered both to those sides, escort party relinquishing their hold. No face could compare to hers, surely a tireless labour of pure love – those eyes were of blue so deep, an unwary soul might drown in them._

_The paths of their respective gazes crossing, the human did indeed experience trouble breathing..._

"_So glad you have come to assist me..." Snively broke eye contact with such abruptness, an electric shock might have been delivered – his lips twisting into a sneer, gnomish gaoler broke the dead silence. Dying just a little bit more inside, he drawled the speech made to every newcomer – though routine once had provided comfort, it now served only to bring tedium. "...in Hell's Kitchen!"_

_It also shared the fate of spiders fallen into a bath, drowned fast by jeers which now came flooding that murky place...for having been repeated so many times, this ritual had also paled upon The Subjects._

"_Always love an audience, don't ya?!!"_

"_Ski-slope nosed little freak!!!!"_

"_Why don't ya turn and face us, look hard at what ya've done?!!"_

_Snively did not so much as turn, though rattling bars assaulted scrawny back – he had no desire to acknowledge the cages, far less so any of those incarcerated. Though a monthly exposure to them was unavoidable, he loathed the sight of those faces – in each chunk of twisted flesh, that new depth of depravity was reflected._

_Reacting instinctively to this uproar, the captive trio looked around...their faces growing aghast, horrors abound taken in._

_Turtle swallowed heavily, ermine bared fangs – even more than ever, cornered animals they resembled. As for the vixen, no fear that face betrayed – her paws reached out, resting upon grey claw and white shoulder. Reptile and mammal fought back panic, soothed by the comfort she brought – the heart of this group, lady fox certainly seemed._

"_You want to look after them, eh?" Snively raised both eyebrows, irked by this moving scene. "So very touching, that your maternal edge was not dulled by a month in the cell block!"_

"_My friends are called Hyssop and Pahana." the vixen responded to insidious mockery, drawing turtle and ermine closer still - like a song riding the wind, that voice was gentle and sweet. "As for me, I am..."_

"_You are Subject 40." Snively cut short this introduction, his voice like a scalpel – he could not afford to listen, let that professional detachment slip away. Even as he spoke, the SWATbots closed in – for the vixen they reached, acting upon his next words. "Please remove all non essential clothing before proceeding any farther, all you shall need here are the barest necessities."_

_Hyssop and Pahana went sprawling, shoved by elbows of metal..._

_The vixen was lifted from metal floor, wrists seized in vice like grips. She merely gazed ahead, enduring this ordeal in silence – beautiful material shredded to pieces, her gown was stripped away. That corset was next to go, laces popping until it came loose._

_Snively could not look away, jaw slackened by their revelation – broad hips and ample bosom, the most exquisite hourglass figure. The human had to grin, pale eyes roving over every inch – voyeuristic exploration was then concluded, that face coming back into view. The vixen gazed back in silence, quite aware of his fascination – his dismayed expression could be seen, reflected in those pools of perfection._

_In that sleazy appreciation, human had not been alone...long deprived of female contact, those caged were applauding lecherously._

"_Hellooo, foxy mama!!!!"_

"_Hey babe, wanna be roomies?!!"_

"_Cute tail, wait til ya get a loada mine!!!!"_

_Hyssop gave a choked sob, his head vanishing into that shell...he had no desire to witness this, the utter humiliation of such a wonderful person. It had been the most terrifying period of his life, unable to do anything more than wait to be roboticized...the scraps afforded by their captors proving frugal, he had been ravaged by pangs of constant hunger. Yet the vixen had given up her own, determined she would not let the turtle suffer..._

_Pahana gnashed those fangs, fighting to contain anguish...he knew the memories would always remain, memories of being locked in everlasting night. Yet in a way, his best they were...the vixen had been there for him, bandaging wounds dealt by their captors. For the first time in his life, there had been someone who cared..._

_Snively could not so much as gasp, neck feeling as though in some snare – he turned only with immense effort, pulling at one of those drawers. 'Whatever she just did...I will not suffer again!' Out into the faint light, his clammy hand drew them – three bracelets of blue plastic, each with a white label._

"_Whatever you were called and wherever you came from, you are now Subject 41 and you are now Subject 42 of this research facility - that such is your new capacity, these will serve to remind you." Upon the desk was each placed, daubed then with a felt marker – from writing tiny as it was impeccable, those eyes now lifted to glitter ominously. Upon quaking turtle and glaring ermine, they fixed like manacles of cold steel – human gestured with that marker, resembling the most sinister wizard. "Their removal would prove a futile gesture, to say nothing of a punishable infraction – I trust we have an understanding."_

"_Stop this, you must." Before turtle or ermine could muster a response, the vixen had done so without hesitation – calm and crisp was her manner, the purest essence of rationality. "Let them go, all of them. No need is there for unwilling slaves, not when one would gladly serve their purposes." That voice was so very steady, she might not have been cruelly restrained - full of ardency beyond possible misunderstanding, it would have swayed The Grim Reaper. "In place of them all, allow me to remain alone."_

_Snively did not answer immediately, capable only of staring – so still was the marker, time itself might have been frozen. Since the establishment of this place, come and gone had many – some had cried and begged, whereas others cursed and threatened. Out of that number so vast, none had pledged to suffer for all – with the coming of a vixen, this record had been broken._

_Silence descended over the cages, each prisoner drinking this up...awe swept over them all, understanding of that incredibly selfless offer. Seeing the nightmarish agonies inflicted here, this vixen would take their places...gladly would this be done, a sacrifice none had ever witnessed. Nor would they on this night, for their salvation was cruelly denied..._

"_My dear lady...your sweet reason has rolled back my heart of stone, a fete of which none other can boast." Snively gave a drawn out whistle, getting up from that desk – like the scrawniest weathervane, he began now to turn. "In recognition of your caring nature...you instead shall be Subject 42." Dragging along the chair, that little man moved – limp in that other hand, something the colour of rotten flesh. "While the rest fulfil their duties, consider yourself free to offer commiseration...as their discomfort shall precede your own, you may look upon this as a learning experience."_

_The vixen dangled in space like one sentenced to crucifixion, breaths deep revealing a struggle to overcome deeper fear. She did not thrash or plead, merely watching that pale hand reach out - the bracelet opened like a maw of plastic, clasping then around her wrist. Like the ball gown had been seconds ago, freedom was ripped away in that moment._

_Snively turned with an expression of satisfaction, having mastered the situation once more – spindly arms crossed over that chest, he issued the final command. "Gentlemen...show our guests to their quarters." He relished the words now hissed, seeing them obeyed even more so – a mere facade this was, masking the emptiness which yawned inside._

_Sitting down once more, he retrieved the pen...the progress report required full attention, being not even halfway done. Attention the report did not receive, restless mind unable to concentrate...to sneak a secret glance, he could not resist the temptation. Into view the cage came, occupied once more by a Subject..._

_Penned within miniature cell, the vixen hugged furry knees – she gazed down at the floor, as though miles from this awful place. Perfectly composed was that face, not a crack made by fear - infinite patience in those eyes, she might have been awaiting something. Even from this distance, clear it was to see - a free spirit she was, one no bars could hold._

'_Just like they who came before...I say she lives, she lives to serve me.' Snively clenched that fist, nearly crushing his pen - to assert his power, the vixen would be conquered. 'I say she dies, she dies as I please...just like they yet to come.'_

That had been the plan...yet plans often went awry.

Snively gave the deepest flinch, an icy chill racing up that spine – realising water dripped upon that head, he parted those lips in a snarl. _What deed of mine has offended fair fortune, that fate should deal me blow after blow? _The sudden wrenching of his guts, thus this question was rewarded – yet the true answer, that tortured soul well knew.

"What should we do with the boo-hoo baby, ahahahahahaaaaa!!!! Good one, Aunt Sally, reeeeal gooood!!!!" From the cell directly opposite, it again came pealing – from shrill to deep, demented laughter randomly swung. Upon verge of total lunacy, the other prisoner teetered – one last push in the right direction, such was all it would take. Like sour milk churned into rotten cheese, it slowly became desperate pleading – these words devolved into hysterical babble, its final culmination a harrowing scream. "Sally...turn on the light, I'm scared!!!! Bunnie...I didn't mean it, forgive me!!!! Sonic...Soniiiiiic!!!!"

Silence there then was...broken by another giggle.

Snively made to plug both ears, nausea churning deep from within – the little man surprised himself, allowing those hands instead to fall. Worse than the profound sickness, he could feel something else now – burning in the back of his brain, a fire there now was kindled. Descent into madness he now heeded, each sound fanning those flames – as they were slowly devoured, his mental defences began to collapse. No sardonic response could he muster, though not for lack of trying – that mind a barren wasteland, no refuge could he find. Wallowing in perpetual bitterness had kept them at bay, memories of that suffering he had inflicted upon The Subjects – anguish now right in his face, such was not as easily ignored.

"_Unless we change our ways, this planet is headed for complete destruction..." _As that inferno engulfed his heart, words echoed back from long ago – those which had gone disregarded, which might have saved him. Symbolising things he had left behind, uttered by a person far better – yearning for that simpler time, his body now physically ached. _"…mark my words!"_

_Cassandra...I should have listened to you. But that's the thing...about good advice. People never listen...until it's too late. _

Snively wished it had been different, that life lived thus far...for his betrayal of an entire kingdom, the reward had been punishment enough. Yet there it had not ended...others having paid for his wickedness. In general, the Mobian People...more specifically, the vixen...most immediately, her son. They with sweet liberty, she with life itself, Tails...

_...he's paying with much more. So bloody much more, by god..._

The sound of footsteps, growing louder with each second...yet no longer in memory, the little man realised.

Snively brought up that face, eyes sharper now than glass – so short a while before, he would have been funked. At this precise moment, his eyebrow merely lifted – if nothing else whatsoever, this would serve to entertain. Like a monster round the corner, into view it came looming – without end it seemed, like that first rebel starship. One person could it be, no other possessed such circumference – up sat the prisoner, keen on this family reunion.

"None round these parts, I'm sorry to say! If you are that desperate, why not try the beach?"

Doctor Robotnik caught those words of mockery, halting with all the natural grace a tank possessed – swinging around like that very war machine, he let loose a baleful glare. "I beg your microscopic pardon?" his eyes were like black holes, explosive rage beyond far surpassing infinite supernovas – precisely when it would go off, a simple matter of time.

"Fish, none are available here." Snively wore a malignant grin, relishing this glorious opportunity – Zero had paid another cell call, snickering over the latest installment of shapeshifting theater**.** "Oceanographically speaking, sticking your head in a rock pool would prove more fruitful."

Doctor Robotnik lurched for rusty bars, nose squashing against them – for the briefest moment, he resembled some captured primate. "There was a time you feared me like a god." his voice was like oozing tar, each word a spark threatening ignition – the company of one equally miserable, this wretched soul lusted for.

Snively scoffed this attempted intimidation, only just reigning in derisive laughter – it seemed like a ludicrous dream, that he ever feared one so pathetic. "There was a time you promised we would rule Mobius together." alive with malice were his eyes, berries chock full of poison – as magnets were the human men, drawn toward yet repulsed by each other.

Doctor Robotnik curled that lip, unable to bear what he saw. "You have changed...no longer the cringing maggot, desperate to prolong your existence. You actually seek the crushing boot...an escape from your miserable life." This new side of his nephew, it enforced how different things now were.

"Oh please! When next you actually take a bath, try looking in the jumbo sized mirror! You're the one who's changed, filled with naught save bluster! Like an elementary student entering high school, terrified of the new world he finds himself in! It has happened after so many blasted years, Julian Kintobor now lives in fear of a bully nastier than he!" Snively spoke with deliberation, forming each word exquisitely. He had thought it would be delightful, inflicting the sting of bitter humiliation. Yet for some reason inexplicable, satisfaction did not come.

Doctor Robotnik whirled away, shoulders rising and falling in vexation – the duration of several minutes, he spent regaining composure. His voice spoke again, changed to a drastic extent – like metal itself granted power of speech, cold as ice and hard as marble. "Fool. You never were anything more a stepping stone, one in a position to swiften my rise to ascendancy. I was generous enough in leaving your neck intact, rather than stretching it for good measure."

With a squeal of complaint, that rusted door swung open...

Tails lifted that swaying head, peering through a squinted eye. He wore an expression of unreality, torn between pure horror and childish delight - like the seasons being fast forwarded, they came and went swiftly. Confusion briefly surfaced thereon, narrowed eye studying these surroundings – so far as that wandering mind could discern, his own hut this could have been. But then it could with an equal measure of likelihood be the padded cell, there being room for debate if there was any real difference between either.

"The Supreme Sorcerer is waiiiitiiiing, Master Kitsune!" Doctor Robotnik made an extravagant gesture, dipping into a mock bow - those pupils glowed ominously, filling the cell with blood. "Consider yourself vastly privileged, you are invited to supper! Provided you shall not give trouble, I am instructed to add!"

"When the main course is waiting for me, I'm not going to fill up on some appetizer!" Tails surrendered to an uncontrollable giggle, face contorting into a grin – the grip of madness was so tight, no fear could touch him. Drool gleamed upon his chin, reflecting the glare cast upon it – like a song was that voice, one sung out of tune. "You know what, you're not so big without The Roboticizer! Ahahahahahaaaa, that rhymed!"

"The insanity defence won't save you..." Doctor Robotnik strove not to backhand the fox, teeth clenching as they had in the basketball court – chunky hand became their successor, closing around those tails. To eye level was lifted the cub, great jaws parting in reception – it was like knock out gas, the breath which now hit. "...instead you will look into the mouth of madness."

_Even the most righteous may falter before temptation...they who would corrupt us for their own purpose count upon it. _Snively watched them go, downfallen tyrant swinging woozy fox – nobody left to mock, his sneer faded now. He could feel it descend, the crushing weight of loneliness. With no other at hand, inward turned his thoughts – yet rather than before, that mind was upon now. _Myself, I fell years ago...Julian, I couldn't begin to guess. _

_What about you, Tails? Do you fall with us? Or do you stand tall like her?_

* * *

The banquet hall was immense, providing more space than many outside locations – in evenings long since past, the light of chandeliers had shone within. Yet with every regime, many things are changed – gone were comfort and warmth, having fallen victim to time. Fastened to cobwebbed walls by rusted brackets, flaming torches drove back the shadows - having lain empty for so many years, it now more resembled a crypt. Central in this place, a long dinner table – laid upon moth eaten cloth, silver platters and china plates. Specially cooked by a roboticized peacock chef, the most tantalising delicacies were now served up - many figures were seated in ornate chairs, each with cares and concerns of their own.

_Seated at the head of the table... _Ixis Naugus smiled in great benevolence, sickly light reflected in those eyes. It was going much better than hoped, the first banquet he ever had thrown. Hither and thither flitted his gaze so watchful, alighting upon each of the handpicked guests. _...most_ _befitting the head of the house!_

SWATbots brandished knives and forks, the shiniest units yet in existence – present company taken into consideration, anything less would have been insulting. Before each was a plate, stacked with helpings of naught whatever – to mouths which weren't there, similarly non existent food was lifted. Solemnly as children at play, the robotic soldiers performed this charade – to generate an atmosphere, had they been solely invited.

Lieutenant Omega alone did not partake, ignoring the plate of air – at the figure seated directly opposite, crimson eye gleamed like a blood ruby. _**(If he thinks I'll let slide his stealing of my laser light, my analysis is that he's nuts and bolts!)**_ Zero seemed oblivious to naked antagonism, bent upon devouring the food before him – he attacked everything with the ferocity of some barbarian warrior, gluttony such as would have shamed a certain hedgehog.

Doctor Robotnik stood a short way off, brawny arms folded over that chest – his stomach groaned in longing, shut out from nearby delights. Yet toward one responsible for past betrayal, the sorcerer was nothing if not compassionate - grey gloved finger and thumb flicking peas at his head, the human could scarcely complain of not receiving aught to eat.

Naugus banished that wretch from mind, returning to the point with a cackle – the table so very long, that gaze traversed across. _And there he is...my guest of honour! _Past less than lively diners, beyond diner ravenous enough for everyone – finally to journey's end, the last seat of all.

Tails sat in that chair, five cushions stacked beneath him – under a water pump, he had been run. No longer did his mind wander, subdued by the icy chill – so numb was the fox, as though drugged he seemed. Into a fairy-tale he might have been sucked, some peasant boy invited to dine with monsters – eyes of blue remained upon the table, for fear he should next be devoured.

Reflecting further upon the situation, it actually was that unreal – this hell had once been a castle, the home of a beautiful princess. _Sally ate in this room...when she was a little girl. Well...littler than when she brought me to Knothole. _A princess driven out long ago by evil, a force which perverted the realm around it – that force was now a servant, existing in fear of a greater evil. The fork beside steaming plate, nervous gaze chanced upon – he noticed a detailed pattern, engraved upon the same. _Gee, what bloody luxury...ours are carved from wood! _Incredible detail for such a mundane thing, he had never imagined anything like it – bare paw reached out, curiosity spurring the movement.

A split second later, it was yanked back...for like a curse, familiar pain came searing.

"I feel your pain, lad."

Tails looked up instinctively, powerless to stop himself. "...w-w-what?" his voice was a fly, struggling in a treacle pot.

Naugus readily met startled eyes, breathing a sigh of compassion – having long watched the fox, he had witnessed sudden flinch. "For it you have suffered greatly, that which raises you above the common. No cruelty is there of which the ignorant are incapable, they see anything beyond their limited comprehension as something to fear. Behind you is that sickness, my son." devoid of subtle condescension was that manner, unlike how it had been with the princess – not a grandfather to a grandson, one enlightened soul engaging another enlightened soul.

"Sally wasn't...cruel to me. Sally was...there for me." Tails felt a spark of loyalty rekindling, contesting assertions he once might have agreed with. _'My son'...? Sally wanted to be my mother...Naugus is trying to be my father? _The strength of his own argument sinking in, those eyes descended like an evening sun. "She just didn't understand...and I didn't help. She pointed that out...but I didn't listen."

"I humbly beg your indulgence, fearing you misconstrue my design – to sway you against Her Highness, I wish naught at all." Naugus shook that head, solitary hand rising in placation – his voice now changed, turning to patience itself. "Great is my regard for her, regret for our present alienation equally so – just as destiny led you here, doubtless she also shall enter the fold." the high ground now taken, sorcerer pressed his advantage – keen were narrowed eyes, fixated upon downcast cub. "The day we all sit at this table, my old bones know it shall come to pass – I may impart this also, that day may dawn soon."

"You're wasting your time and breath...she wants nothing more to do with me." Tails looked up with effort, mental fatigue creeping in once more – they all had agendas, everyone he seemed to meet. _So...that's how it is! He doesn't want to sway me...he wants me to sway Sally! _Unable he was to aid the sorcerer, though irony did not go unrecognised – while painfully underestimated by supposed friends, the fox was now honoured by an enemy. "She said it herself...right before I made tracks."

Tails expected silence to fall, ended by the snarl of disappointment – flames to engulf the whole table, reducing his body to ash. _Wouldn't be the first time he turned the heat up on me...as a comradely joke, of course. _He could see this doom so clearly, it might have been a memory - yet in the following moment, confounded was this expectation.

"I state again with utmost conviction, misguided not malign is your dear princess – that her affection for you is indeed great, her words and deeds proved during our recent encounter." Naugus assumed the most concerned expression, rather than that of a foiled schemer – compassion radiated from those eyes, not fire and brimstone blazing. The soul of that fox, they seemed to find without difficulty - voice gentler than ever it had been, a man to man talk now gave the sorcerer. "And remember it she shall, when ire no longer veils her sight – broken shall it soon be, the cycle of chaos."

"Yeah..." Tails could only stare back, face like that of a statue – a statue crumbling into dust, eroded by complete despair. _'The cycle of chaos'? The heck's he talking about? _Though sleek fur gleamed in flickering torchlight, that heart under scrutiny was like ash – nothing made the faintest bit of sense anymore, no more than a chalk drawing blurred by rain. "...right."

"Hearken to what I say, hearken well - since people first received the gift of free will, our world has been on a journey to complete destruction. Should undeniable evidence of this truth be your desire, look upon the realm in which stands my keep – a monument to one of inordinate foolishness, to those whom let it occur no less." Naugus leaned across the table, sumptuous repast apparently now forgotten. That manner one of mesmerising intensity, light seemed to dim around him. The only two people still living, he and the fox might have been. "Power lacking wisdom leads to calamity, yet wisdom lacking power is entirely impotent – the first shall bring utter ruin, the second watching in helplessness. The power of eons and the wisdom of ages, the keys to safeguarding this world lie in my hand – soon shall the door be unlocked, for I know where it lies. With their emissary standing beside me, The Goddesses shall favour this undertaking – in peace may the people dwell forevermore, blessed with the gift of enlightenment."

Tails felt so overwhelmed, his head shaken in disbelief – he sat with a complete lunatic, gone right over the edge. "You're...bloody obsessed." Or on that singular hand, perhaps crazy like a fox – given those actions recent, the cub could hardly judge.

"Striving to right wrongs...is that not the obsession of you Freedom Fighters? Reaching out for perfection...is that not the obsession of all whom draw breath?" Naugus failed to keep that expression straight, much glee derived from such a declaration – emphasised by snorting laughter, he drove home its folly. "You are difficult indeed to convince, O Kitsune...worry not, I shall do so yet! Around you shall come to my way of thinking...as shall every other wayward soul!" his hand now waved, restaurant patron flagging down waiter – in greatest of moods, very much seemed the sorcerer. "Oh Doctor...do pour my friend a glass of wine! We must drink, he and I...ah yes, drink to the coming of great things!"

"...I'm like, a kid." Tails could only stammer, positive those ears now lied – nowhere near an alcoholic drink, his mouth ever had gone. Sitting with everyone at village bonfires, he had often wondered about the taste – yet never had this curiosity been satiated, for a certain squirrel would have gone ballistic. "I can't..."

"And _wine_ _not_, my friend?" Naugus gave another snigger, elated by this pun – to clearly intrigued fox, a wink was given. "If you do not tell Her Highness, then _I_ most certainly shall not!"

Doctor Robotnik fetched the wine, like a good dog – in mustering semblance of civility, he only just succeeded. "Your first experience with volatile hydroxyl compounds made from hydrocarbons by distillation, O Kitsune." The nadir of his existence, catering to some brat - crimson liquid poured from decanter, placed then before that fox.

Tails gazed into the wine, fire lit behind those eyes – as though reflected in that liquid, he could see the possibilities. _The gift of enlightenment...could it be the power to bring back the dead? My mother could come back...but I never knew her, is that really what I want? Or maybe it could be...the power to change the past? Sally could be my mother for real...but would that make me happy either, wouldn't she still treat me like a baby? _His mind swirling with selfish thoughts, gloved paw reached out – a simple tilt later, first drink was downed.

The fox could not stifle a gasp, crimson liquid setting his windpipe ablaze. _Woah...guess I know why The Wolf Pack calls this stuff fire water! _To coughing though he was reduced, pain deep within seemed diminished.

Naugus had no choice beyond laughter, such a scream were those reddening cheeks – into that fang trimmed mouth, he crammed a drumstick. "Oh my! Of fox fire, I had heard! Yet simply ridiculous is...?!!" his remark was never completed, that voice devolving into gurgling – like some halloween decoration, grotesquely bulged those eyes.

Doctor Robotnik spun back, like a jellyfish tangoing – as though in some dream, he beheld this sight. His face seemed to inflate, pumped full of fiendish glee – after months spent in prayer, finally it was happening. Zero likewise glanced over, meat dangling from his mouth – to himself were they kept, whatever thoughts now passed. Lieutenant Omega already had risen, his eye like a spotlight – he ran toward retching sorcerer, feet pounding upon dusty floor.

_**(I could try switching him off and on again, though given the fundamental difference between organics and mechanics...something tells me, it may not be such a stellar notion.)**_

Tails stared across the dinner table, stupefied by wine and what he saw – before his eyes so round, choking to death was Ixis Naugus. It was something none could have imagined, that one such as he should thus perish – neglecting to shut his mouth whilst eating, barely two months after escape from The Void. The fox need only kick back, enjoy this show at leisure – over that long dead vixen, the sorcerer would soon be leering.

Doctor Robotnik all but laughed, gloved fingers pressing together – the taste of glorious freedom, he was already savouring. _Oh yes...ohhh yes...ohhh yesss!!!! At last...the old goat...is finished!!!! _His ecstasy was so great, verging upon the point of orgasm – until it came darting past, orange fur in motion.

"Your hands are too big, they'll never...!" Tails was seated no longer, having leapt onto the table – spurred by the whips of desperation, like a lunatic he ran._ I can't let this happen...I need him to make everything right...he has to live! _Like a missile was his body, dodging and weaving between plates – that gaping mouth, a hideous target. "Get out of the way, let me...!"

"Well..." Zero gave a drawl, his food stepped in. "..._thass_ appetisin."

"You little cretin, stop!!!!" Doctor Robotnik surged in pursuit, desperate to keep this from happening – like some behemoth condemned by norse gods to eternal imprisonment, his desire for freedom was so terrible it shook the heavens. He yearned to watch death claim that old fool, rendering those past months little more than a bad dream – greatly detrimental it would prove, the survival of same fool. "Stop, I order...?!!"

A yelp of dismay, enraged roar turned to. From beneath the table, a leg came swinging. As critical mass shook banquet hall floor, Zero caught the bottle of wine.

_...the light now fades, such an extraordinary thing. _Naugus was slumped over the table, reduced to a quivering husk – like a saw pitted with rust, his breath or lack of the same. Like a river choked by reeds, naught flowed in those lungs – gravy soaked that beard, making it appear blood stained. A shape came flying toward him, the nature of it unclear – eyes rolling into back of head, to darkness all was lost. _Having endured the passage of centuries, could I at last be...?_

_Sally once read me a story...about a brave princess who went into a scary cottage to rescue an orphan cub from a wicked witch. Now look at me... _Tails wriggled between those jaws, battling not to vomit – climbing over leathery old tongue, fox cub went into the breach. Face coated in drool, he reached that throat – his gaze found it there, down in reeking darkness. Jammed between fleshy walls, the bone of literal contention - gloveless paw reached down, tugging upon greasy blockage. _...a loony cub disowned by a princess, crawling into a mouth to save a sorcerer from a drumstick. 'Irony' isn't the word...way more like 'sick'._

Without any kind of warning, free popped the bone...as fox shot backward, wrenched by some external force.

Tails kicked out wildly, seeking the ground in panic – brutal grip constricting that windpipe, his own turn came to choke. _I...wish I could see you one more time...Sally. Tell you...how sorry...I am. _Paralysing coldness went lancing right through him, a monstrous visage filling every inch of view – that of death itself, without pity or mercy.

"Much indeed you have cost me, O Kitsune!" Doctor Robotnik took an unsteady breath, features twisted by neanderthal rage – like fiery coals burned those eyes, blind hatred which once inflicted suffering upon countless people. "I may have lost the chance to regain power yet will not lose the chance for vengeance!"

* * *

A tumour of metal, that distant city was...the danger it posed, a horror surpassing belief.

The awakened one stood upon a lofty ridge, solitary trace of light against a dark horizon...it would occur there, something no other could anticipate. By figure in purple, it had been anticipated – an age long slumber had ended, so disaster could be prevented. Like a hewn tree, the plunge was now taken – violently lashed by the air, robed body fell like a stone. Moving with fluid precision in the face of certain death, those arms fanned out as though to embrace it - as they established contact instead with wind, the ground below seemed reluctant to rise further. Heading right for the city, prepared to end many things...like a spear of judgment, the awakened one now glided.

_In order to preserve tomorrow...it must be defended today._

**End Of Chapter**

_Author Notes - Yep, Tails was thinkin o the story Sally's doppelganger couldn't get tru durin "Sonic and Sally"!! Know what'd be cool, if someone wrote a story ABOUT Sally reading it to Tails!! Perhaps with the cub imagining them both in the lead roles, a Mobian fairy-tale!! _

_Speakin o bedtime stories, I had to lose a line o dialogue!! While under the belief Naugus intended to subvert him, Tails wuz originally gonna say "You're just going to have to find yourself another Gollum"!! It took me a while to remember, Gollum's betrayal happens not in "The Hobbit" but "The Lord Of The Rings"!! It would kinda strain credulity that Bunnie finished the former and got so far in the latter over one week, I figured!! So regrettably, the line had to go!!_

_Wowza, am I bushed!! Hope ya'll enjoyed this, as I always say..._

_Teenage Mutant Ninja Toilets!!_

_Teenage Mutant Ninja Toilets!!_

_Teenage Mutant Ninja Toilets!!_

_Heroes In Enamel!!_

_Dual Flush Power!!_

_....................wait, lemme try that again!! Keep On Freedom Fightin!!_


	22. Symbol Shattered Years Before

_Author Notes - Well, here we are again!! Ya know for a while, I figure we'd never make it!! But against all odds, we did!! Welcome one an all ta the next chapter o MBMH, now clockin at a whoppin TWENTY chapters!! An lemme tell ya'll, couldn'ta made it without ya'll!! (All due apologies for the 'slight' delay!!)_

_By the by, anyone present ever play "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" for the Game Gear?? If so then more than likely, ya gotta gander at the bad endin!! The one in which Sonic fails ta gather the Chaos Emeralds, renderin him powerless ta help Tails!! Our hedgehog hero's lonely journey home across a darkenin land, somethin jus makes it utterly unforgettable!! An that thing is the MUSIC, simply yet beautifully conveyin the anguish o loss!! All without a word bein uttered, not a word NEEDIN ta be uttered!! If ya ain't seen it, then ya oughta do so!! An then tell me, am I wrong??_

_Anyway, thass enough for now!! I'll leave ya'll ta..._

**Chapter Twenty**

**Guided By The Heart; Symbol Shattered Years Before**

"...is there anything I can do?"

Sally's blue eyes were wide in wonder as she stepped down from the collapsed berth, the nightgown swishing around her slender ankles. Her voice was clear yet no less bewildered, her frantic terror of seconds before a thing now quite passed.

"What did you say?" the squirrel princess asked softly.

King Acorn gave an embarrassed cough and resisted the urge to shuffle his feet, feeling like a sheepish cub rather than the dignified sovereign he was. "I believe it may have been; is there anything I can do?" He clarified, fearing this denouement to such a grand build-up must come as rather lame.

The time for speeches was over. That of decisive action had come.

Sally could feel a smile of golden relief spreading like melted butter over her face, "You don't feel ashamed of me?" she whispered.

As her burden of a heart felt lighter than air, a memory of the days which had been lost came sailing across the sea of time. There had once been a vase in the royal palace, a gift from a faraway land which had been presented many generations before the princess's birth.

And while exploring that specimen of exotic pottery with a curious paw, the present generation had caused a disaster. The unbalanced heirloom had wobbled and then hit the floor with a thunderous crash, nearly bringing the heart of the princess to a stop.

She had fallen to both knees and scrambling for the shattered pieces, not even knowing what she was going to do with them. At any rate, she had succeeded only in staining her paws with blood as the ceramic shards ripped them open.

Hearing the dreaded sound of footsteps, the squirrel girl had looked up. There had stood father with his mouth set in a line and his eyes stern, ordering her to get up and come with him at once.

The princess had risen and gone with him to a nearby room, bloodied and frightened. Father had closed the door and then turned to regard her, his face grave.

Tears had been brimming in her eyes as she stood there, certain that whatever punishment he was about to announce for her would be terrible. Instead he had acted with gentle concern rather than harsh condemnation she had been expecting, ripping two strips of cloth from the end of his cloak and wrapping her quivering paws in them.

The act of loving tenderness had been far more soothing than the makeshift bandages, bringing a watery smile to her face as she stood on tiptoe and wrapped her four year-old arms around his waist. On that afternoon fifteen years ago, she had fully comprehended what it meant to love and be loved in return.

"Ashamed, Sally?" King Acorn crossed the infirmary threshold, navy-blue coat flowing majestically as he approached the prodigal daughter. "Because you decided your judgement was superior to that of all others, closing your mind to the advice of those whom had proven themselves so true? Because you permitted your fear to rule you to such an extent that you abused your authority over one of your subjects? I am disappointed, I must confess. Yet ashamed, nay. In showing the willingness to accept that you erred and a readiness to learn from it, you have taken steps toward greater strength and deeper wisdom. Both are important qualities in a future queen, though the path ahead may be stony." His paws reached out and rested upon her pink-clad shoulders, his moustach crinkling as he eased at last into a smile. "Sally, I am proud!"

Gagged by the emotion that welled inside, Sally was at a loss for words.

_Sonic was quite right, I was once a child. Yet due to circumstances beyond my control, I was forced to become an adult. A mother before my time, pledged to watch over a child yet forgetting how it was to be a child and neglecting the wisdom of my own parent. He did not humiliate me in front of others, threaten to take away everything good in my life or thrash me to within an inch of my life, say he never wanted to see me again. He showed me only understanding, something I did not give Tails. Oh, Tails was right too, I should be in a strait-jacket. Then I'd have had an excuse at least..._

"That said, you owe a debt to our society and when time so permits, I shall decide the price." King Acorn let go and stepped back, folding his arms and knitting his brow. "Put in bluntest possible terms, don't imagine yourself off the hook. Yet for the present, weightier matters are our main priority."

Sally smiled and nodded in rueful acceptance, her heart easy with the knowledge that she could expect justice. Where obstinacy would once have flared, there was now emotional maturity. _Poetic justice, I'll now be the one thinking of ways to pass time in a prison hut!_ she thought.

Bunnie watched and listened, awed and moved by this scene. Though breathing still felt like swallowing coals, her smile was like a blossoming flower. _Firm but fair...ol' Maxie is the King we need n' the King we deserve!_ The rabbit was proud to know such people and would never take her friendship with them for granted for as long as she might live.

"A blunt hook, Max?" an unexpected voice came drifting from across the room, instantly recognisable despite sounding badly winded.

Sonic had just propped himself upright and was now squinting in the dim light of his surroundings, his peach-furred muzzle grimacing as he lifted a bare paw. He flinched as his head was massaged gingerly, it felt like an egg which was in the process of hatching.

"Take it from a pro, ya won't nab any fish that way!" the concussed quickster concluded.

"Another faux paw, I fear!" King Acorn acknowledged the newly awakened hedgehog with a warm chuckle, a spark of mischief dancing in his blue eyes. "Or perhaps an oxymoron, my friend!"

"Woah, back up a step!" Sonic pulled a bemused face and ceased to rub his sore head, "Who's this 'Ox' dude an why ya callin him a 'moron'?"

"Sonic...oh Sonic!" Sally swayed like a dangling rope caught in the wind, her face barely able to contain her smile of joy. Her feet barely touched the floor as she moved like lightning, those pink-sleeved arms shooting out and hugging the hedgehog tight. "It's wonderful to hear your voice...more than ever would I have expected!"

"Sal..." Sonic welcomed her glad grin with one of his very own, his leaden arms reaching out and winding around her slender body. Beyond that thin material beat a heart which knew only love, though the joy it brought soon faded before the resurfacing memory of something which made the hedgehog feel scarcely worthy of it. "...I ain't feelin so wonderful."

Sally felt incredulity ripple through her as he wrenched away, ending their embrace. "Sonic...?" she stammered as the hedgehog turned from her.

Sonic scowled, an expression of pure self-disgust. "I shoulda waited for back up but 'cuz I didn't, that scumbag got away." his dripped with real bitterness as his ears bent under the weight of the unbearable shame.

"Pardon me for saying so yet you utter pure nonsense." King Acorn would not hear a word of it, lowering his voice in the reverance which was reserved for a hero such as the one before him now. "You fought with valour against a strong opponent seeking foremost to guard our people, what could be greater than that?"

"I didn't save nobody, Max, that wuz Bunnie an Rosie! Rotor an Ari wound up savin me, I couldn't save Tails!" Sonic answered with a growl, unable to forgive himself though others might. "Dang it ta heck, some big bro I turned out ta be when push came ta shove!" he recalled the harsh words he'd spoken to the fox with gutwrenching clarity, everything had gotten so bad that a way back for him and his little brother seemed impossible. "Kid wuz goin thru hell, I didn't even notice! Said I woulda been there for him if he'd lemme know somethin was wrong but why should he come ta me, I turned on him faster than a SWATbot!"

Bunnie almost glided as she began to walk toward the hedgehog, her face a vision of melancholy loveliness in the otherworldly glow of candlelight. Regret pooled within her like a bottomless reservoir of shame, each and every memory igniting pain which far surpassed the moment she had been partially roboticized.

"It wosn't yuh fault, Sugah Hog, yuh couldn't have known. Ah knew cos jest after the last ol' mission, Tails n' Ah bumped into each other under The Great Beech. Poor lil' darling, he poured his sweet lil' heart out tuh me n' Ah jest didn't take him seriously. Ah had the chance tuh help him n' Ah walked away, Ah left him alone."

Sally went over to the rabbit and took her paws into her own, eyes shining with the essence of love itself. She might have been mistaken from an angel fallen from the heavens above, had anyone present known what angel was that was to say.

"Bunnie, you are nothing but a truest friend. Truer than Tails, I or anyone in all of Mobius could hope to have. I alone have done this, isolated Tails from us. Had I not driven him into the clutches of Naugus, he would be lying safely in his bed as we speak."

"I guess so. If it hadn't been burnt to a crisp anyway."

Sally whirled like a pink dervish to face the doorway, a smile reaching her ears at the sight of a stalwart figure there. "Ari!" she beamed.

"Glad to see that you're aware, Princess" Ari squeezed his shoulders between the edges of the doorframe, nodding his grey head in acknowledgement of the squirrel girl. Having paid due respect to her, the ram turned his flinty eyes to meet those which were most austere in the woodland hamlet. "Your Majesty, the situation is more or less stable."

"My friend, I discern from your tone that there is more to tell." King Acorn could feel a weary ache creeping through his bones as he met the newcomer halfway.

Ari delivered a report of Knothole's current state, "We managed to put the fires out before many dwellings were lost, thankfully without casualties at all. Lady luck must have been smiling down on us because none of the people whose huts got targetted were home at the time. Right now, everyone's gathered in the mess hall and some are so freaked out, they're actually talking about abandoning Knothole." he concluded, his voice heavy with sheer exhaustion.

"...abandon Knothole?" the words spilled from Sally's lips, her fur nearly turning inside-out at the notion of leaving her home. "But why...?"

"Sally, that guy found us." Rotor stepped into the hut with greater ease than the ram, his cheeks sagging as though stuffed full of worry and fatigue. "Everyone's still reeling over what happened today and what could happen if whoever the heck that was comes back."

"Rotor!" Sally swept forward in order to embrace the walrus, her smile fading like evening sunlight as the news caught up with her. "I can't believe it!"

"Sir Charles suggested that giving everyone a mug of brandy might settle their nerves. Gotta admit that I wasn't expecting Rosie to agree but she did." Ari was smirking ruefully, "While she was telling everyone to line up, he said the two of us should get ourselves over here. Kinda wish we'd stuck around if you get my meaning."

"How about the other ol' gal?" Bunnie realised with great surprise that she was the one speaking, her eyes of fire belied by a voice of quiet calm. "Did she kick up a ruckus over Charley Boy bein a monster like me?"

"Er......oh right, you mean Mrs Campagnol!" Rotor faked a cough, trying to feign ignorance of the recent confrontation between the shrew and the rabbit. "Nah, she didn't have anything to say!" Come to think, I didn't see her there, maybe she's still resting at the Dachs's place!"

King Acorn had never felt smaller, thinking of the issue which the walrus sought to avoid. Word of Bunnie's condemnation by Mrs Campagnol had spread faster than anything, putting even the malevolent flames which had so nearly engulfed the village to shame.

Shame being an overriding word, a thing which burned hotter than any fire within the noble squirrel. Never had Knothole Village borne the weight of the disgrace it had today, a day on which a true heroine been lashed by ungrateful tongues.

"Don't see anyone else bringin this up, so it might as well be the ol' hedgehog!" Sonic growled in suspicion, his eyes flaring as the images of a treacherous person were stoked beyond. "That guy jus' happenin ta show up right after Snotley made like a cheerleader an' split, I so don't buy it!"

"What're yuh sayin', Sugah Hog?" Bunnie could only whisper as bleakest despair passed over her beautiful face, "All this time, Snively n' Naugus have been in cahoots with each other?"

"Yeah, that sure would explain things. Maybe he was sending transmissions from his hut, leaving a trail for them to follow. And you know what that means?" Rotor was next to speak, his voice cracking and slipping out of control. "Everything we've done since Naugus took over, it's all been totally meaningless." he seemed to crumple within as the morbid fantasy grew hideously real, leaving him teetering on the verge of falling into despair. "We've been set up to fail. The Roboticizer we got two weeks ago, it's probably nothing but a fake. I bet an army of SWATbots is heading for the forest if they're not burning a path to us already."

"Sorry to burst such a joyous bubble, you guys but honestly, I have to doubt it." Ari broke in to cut away the roots of paranoia before it could spread and strangle them all. His words were so sobering that he might have been exhaling coffee fumes with each breath. "Ever since Snively came here, I kept my eyes peeled, watching him so often as I could. If he was playing the infiltrator, I'm bloody sure I'd have known and besides, did anyone notice a radio antennae poking out of his roof? I know I didn't but hey, if anyone did then I'll start panicking now."

Sally nodded in agreement with this argument which rang so true, praying that their struggles had not been in vain. "Ari, you're right. If Naugus had learnt our whereabouts months ago, we would have received visitors long before yesterday's dinner hour. It was surely our attacker who tracked us down, though I realise that notion isn't very comforting either."

Her friends each exchanged looks, trying to set hope against despair. The ray of hope was vital in this darkest hour, they must hold onto it if they weren't to be lost.

"By the by, did anyone have a chance ta ask the reverse fire-fighter for his insurance deets?" Sonic could not remain silent, his eyes narrowing into fierce slits as he relived every second of the face-off on the cliff-edge. "I'll feel way better about kickin' in those human teeth, knowin' he can afford a trip ta the emergency-ward!"

Sally turned to stare at him, her eyes filled with utter surprise. "...Sonic, did you just say human? Robotnik actually came in person...?"

As the scenario flashed in her mind, it did not seem likely at all. For one thing, it would have required a monumental effort to believe the downfallen dictor capable of ever catching the fleet-footed hedgehog.

"No way, Sal. I dunno who this was but it definitely wasn't Balloon Butt! This was a dude who was some other dude, capice?"

"Another man...oh mah stars!" Bunnie alone managed to speak and even her roughened voice was a whisper. "Sugah Hog...yuh sayin that Robotnik n' Snively ain't the only ones?"

Just two men had wreaked such destruction upon this world.

What three might bring was a nightmarish thought.

"If evacuated the village must be, I know The Wolf Pack shall gladly accept us. Should enough be willing to fight in defence of their home, then plans must be set in place." King Acorn stood before a window with his fingers drumming on the sill, his face solemn as the night wind caressed it. Human beings had proven so ruinous for Mobius yet also been so few, making the wild card introduction of another seem distinctly ominous. But regardless the unshakeable sense of foreboding which these tidings brought, he must keep his mind focused on the matter at paw. "Yet without a firm paw to guide them, our people may descend into chaos. Good friends, my presence is required elsewhere."

"Father, I don't think we need worry about further attacks." Sally went blank-faced as everything flew into place behind it, a soft gasp of enlightenment passing her lips. "Naugus already has what he desired, Tails."

King Acorn swung from the window to reveal his mystification, "...young Miles? It seems unbelievable that a mere cub could have been the reason for an onslaught so savage. Why would...?"

"Naugus was keen to get his claw into the kid, at that." Ari was heard to mutter, rubbing his snout without realising it. Despite everything he'd done, nobody deserved what had befallen the fox. "He was actually willing to let the rest of us go in exchange for him, now that I remember."

Bunnie gave a piercing scream as complete horror gripped her face. "Get his claw into...oh, yuh guys!!!!" the rabbit was swaying in nausea even though she possessed legs of metal. "Yuh don't think...Naugus wants tuh do something tuh Tails?!!"

"Oh Goddesses...he can't!" Sally almost choked upon the words, sickening coldness flowing through her despite the nightgown she wore and the candles which burned all around. She felt the groping paws of The Nasty Hyenas as though reliving every second, chilled by the idea of that same ordeal being inflicted upon Tails. "I mean...he wouldn't!"

King Acorn inhaled as though marshalling himself for something and then faced his daughter with a sudden turn. "Sally...I am so sorry, more than ever can be said. Just as your own, my thoughts are with Miles...please believe that." His sincerity could not have been mistaken and yet, for a split-second, it seemed that there had been something more in his eyes.

Relief had co-existed with compassion there, though short-lived as a gambler's windfall.

Sonic might have been wrestling against the unyielding grip of paralysis as he quivered with waves of silent rage, teetered upon jumping up and rocketing straight for the city. Bunnie stood with her lips were pursed in deadly calm, raring for war. Rotor outwardly appeared the calmest of them all yet growling behind his mask of composure was the beast which had been unleashed so recently upon The Nasty Hyenas. Ari stood in readiness to receive orders, his expression that of a dedicated soldier as he waited as only the trees could.

The Freedom Fighters needed only the word to suit up and set forth for Robotropolis.

Sally could not speak it as she gazed at her father.

The Princess must do this yet found it impossible to explain why.

If only she could find the the words to make him understand.

King Acorn stood with his paws clasped behind his straight back, his grave voice heard again as he came to a decision. "I am still hardly able to believe the things you told me, Sally, it feels as though this all has been going on behind my back. That two courageous souls could journey back across the last decade to bring me warning of woeful catastrophe or that my little girl should have the fortitude and wisdom to have delivered a child into this world and raised him like her one of own blood, I invite each person present to determine for his or herself which scenario most strains credulity!" He bestowed his gaze upon the squirrel princess, smiling in wonder. "You have confronted and accomplished so many things without my aid, I rather believe that you are long overdue just the same. Whatever lies in my power shall be done, the only thing you need do is ask."

Sally could feel the eyes of her friends gazing at her.

It was unnecessary to ask what they were thinking.

Something they each breathed as their hearts practically beated together as one, something perfectly natural and yet incredibly powerful like the scent of wild flowers riding the wind.

And as their bond was reforged, the Freedom Fighters were born again.

"Tails. Help us to bring him home." Sally gave the answer as naturally as she would have blinked.

King Acorn sighed in weariness slowly turned away from the impatient patients, his eyelids now lowering. "A noble request, one clearly echoed by all present...and yet which sadly cannot possibly be granted, I fear." his voice was weighted with sorrow and tinged remorse for that which now must be done and, despite immense personal cost to himself, would be done. "Gaze from the window beside you, beyond lies a village full of people to whom I am obligated to protect until death...whether a great evacuation or a final stand lies in their immediate future, I must remain first to decide and then to prepare."

Sally felt hope perish like a flower starved of sunlight, a rabbit's comforting paw coming to rest upon her shoulder. She vaguely acknowledged the arm of a hedgehog wrapping about both shoulders, seeking to shield against the wave of despair which threatened to engulf her.

_You must put yourself in another's shoes before venturing to judge him, an adage much used yet no less meaningful. This is the pain Tails felt when he realised that his mother is dead, I see it now. So much more than that, I feel it for myself. No kind of flowers, baubles, toys or treats will make it any better and I would find offensive the suggestion that it could be so. Tails will never be granted the wish to see her and I am now denied mine to see him. I could almost be forced to admit this just if fate's true victim in either case wasn't an innocent child._

King Acorn opened his eyes again and within them now was clear resolve, "Sally...you must be quick." his voice flowed just like the pure water of The Great River.

"Quick...?" Sally looked up as a new emotion overwhelmed her, something the word 'hope' could not have done justice. "Father, what...?" she stuttered foolishly.

"I must honour the oath I swore long ago and lead my Kingdom, you must fulfil the duty you assumed and follow your heart. Were I to have my way then you would be locked in a tower until this war was concluded and yet, in doing so, I would place my desire to know that you are safe before your need to live your life. Noble as our intentions are, Sally, children are not made to please their parents. Follow your heart as once I should..." King Acorn coughed as though he'd swallowed a frog and, to everyone present, it seemed as though his expression became momentarily repentant. Whether it had been real or imagined, he was composed again in a moment. "...as I do now, forgive that slip of the tongue. I think I understand what exists between you and Miles, I could not nor would ever interfere with it. I give the others no mere permission but rather a blessing to go with you. Yet hurry back for we must be ready lest Naugus chooses to attack us again. Miles surely awaits you. Bring him home, Sally."

Sonic was already out of bed, stretching his aching muscles and reaching for the nearby clothes-horse. He pulled his gloves back on and then set to work on the the red sneakers, ready to charge back into battle without thought for the thrill of adventure and the glory of heroism._ I let'cha down twice before, lil' bro. But jus' sit tight 'cuz third time's the charm!_ This time, his thoughts were for Tails and Tails alone.

Rotor reached for his plump waist to ensuring that his tool-belt was secure. _To hide from the pain of everyone around me, I threw myself into working on machinery. _While his blubbery paw went through the clumsy motion, his sober mind was focused on the matter of life and death. _But that's all over now, never again will I turn from what really matters._

_Hell yeah!_ Ari felt laughter flow through him like an echo through a canyon until his broad shoulders bucked. The spirits of his comrades were so infectious that things suddenly seemed not so hopefuless to him. _We're all in it!_

Modesty was flung through the proverbial window as Bunnie bent at the waist and grasped the fine straps of her nightgown in both paws, lifting it over her elegant shoulders and off without delay. Facing a clothes-horse, she briskly traded the now inside-out garment for her purple leotard.

_Aunt Bunnie's comin for yuh, Sugah Tails._ she thought, getting dressed. _If Ah have tuh roboticize the rest of myself tuh do it, Ah'll bring yuh back tuh where yuh deserve tuh be._

_"Bun, are you a swan?"_

_Bunnie slurped in surprise and lowered the mug of carrot-juice she'd been drinking from, never having felt more taken aback. "Come again, Miles?" She asked in deep bemusement, certain that she could not have heard right._

_Little Miles gazed up with an expression of utmost seriousness on his infant face, determined on solving this mystery. "Are you a swan is what I am saying?" the little fox pressed the issue, waiting for clarification as his colourful wooden bricks lay forgotten._

_Bunnie laughed so hard that the floor soon became spotted with spilt juice. If the stars of night had sprung forth from mirth then her eyes have been emerald universes._

_"Sorry tuh disappoint yuh but naw, Ah'm a bunny!" she grinned at the younger child, her seven year-old face radiant with affection. The rabbit girl and the fox boy were like brother and sister to each other, their difference in species no gulf whatsoever. "Of course, Ah sure would love tuh fly except Ah'd probably be too busy sneezin what with bein' covered in feathers! Now why would yuh ask me somethin like that?"_

_"It's just the thing is Sally read me a story. It was about a duckling that had no friends because it was different." Miles launched eagerly into an explanation of how his innocent mind had reasoned it out. "But then it grew up and was a swan so it was more beautiful than anyone. And that's why I said if you're a swan, because I think you're so beautiful."_

_His smile was wide and his eyes shining with pure adoration._

_It made so much sense to him that he could see no other possible conclusion._

_Rosie turned away from the hot stove, having been listening to the children's conversation. "Now Miles, don't go making such personal remarks! Don't you see you are embarrassing Bunnie?" she chided the fox-cub. But even though her tone had been rebuking as she'd spoken, her eyes glowed with approval as she faced ahead again_

_Bunnie could find no words to answer with, stunned by the compliment the fox had given. Peering into the dregs at the bottom of the cup of juice, she saw her own face looking back with disbelief etched into every feature. The expression of incredulity was not alone as those golden-furred cheeks blushed crimson. It had never occurred to before her that anyone might consider her beautiful._

_In the corner of the room, Sally lay in bed. After her many hours of vigilance that day, the princess was catching up on some much-needed sleep. She turned over as her lips curved upward in slumbering contentment. Warmth and happiness never ran short while she was with her new family._

Sally gazed at the bustle of activity all around her, unable to believe that it was real. Light had returned to her soul, though night was far from over.

The squirrel girl wasted not another second, slipping out of the frilly nightgown and putting her combat vest back on._ Father...thank you for believing in me when I couldn't believe in myself. _She sat down and slipped both feet into the waiting boots, holstering Nicole on the left with a fluid motion. _I only hope that in justification of your faith...I may give some back to Tails._

Sally stood again and drew a long breath, imagining the great deeds and greater dangers which lay ahead of them all. Reflected foremost in her mind's eye was the face of a fox cub, the precious child for whose sake The Freedom Fighters would soon return to Robotropolis.

_"Sally...?"_

_Sally gave a smile as she turned her eyes from the miniature screen of Nicole. "Yes, Miles?" The warmth of the squirrel's eyes was like the sun in the sky above._

_Miles sat nestled in the cool grass under The Great Beech, so small and so bright that anyone might have mistaken him for an orange flower. "...are you my mama?" the fox-cub's voice was curious as he asked this straightforward question._

_Bunnie had grown quite notorious for giggling during her time in Knothole Village. The rabbit girl hugged her sides and rolled around on the floor as she heard this question, her peals of uncontrollable laughter drawing many curious eyes toward the windblown field._

_Sally was as silent as the proverbial grave, not even turning to frown at her friend. A chill had just gone racing up her tautening spine._

_Then she stretched her lips like taffy to force a painful smile and answered; "In point of fact, little boy, I am not nearly old enough to be your mother."_

_"Oh." Miles whispered as the tips of his ears drooped in disappointment, "So you old enuff to be my grandmamma?"_

_Bunnie was unable to help cracking up all over again._

_Sally closed her palm-sized computer and leaned closer to the fox-cub, taking his pointed ear between her finger and thumb. Tails had never asked about his mother before now, she must nip it in the bud at once._

_"At the most, I am old enough to be your elder sister." the squirrel's voice was colder than winter as she looked him right in the eye. "If you must then call me Aunt Sally. And in future do not ask such things, Rosie told you not to make personal remarks so I will now remind you."_

_Miles beamed and nodded eargerly, his eyes shining like stars. "Okay, I remember...Aunt Sally!" the fox-cub squealed in delight. "Um...so can I have my ear back now?"_

_Sally nodded in return, relieved by the swiftness with which the situation had been defused. The squirrel released his tiny ear and leaned back once more, returning her attention to Nicole._

_"Very well. Now be good and play quietly." she murmured._

_"Aunt Sally?" Bunnie said coolly, "Yuh got a sister or brother Ah never met, Sally Girl?"_

_Her curiosity was plain on her face as she gazed at her playmate, disturbed by the silent tension which radiated from the reticent squirrel. Though she couldn't have guessed what for the life of her, she sensed that something had rattled her best friend._

"Okay, Freedom Fighters." Sally declared in the present day, "Let's go and rescue Tails."

King Acorn had walked out the instant that Bunnie had started undressing, muttering to himself about how young ladies today would make their mothers blush. As the monarch walked beneath the stars, his eyes were just as distant.

* * *

The western gateway of Mobotropolis had once been glorious to behold.

They had been painstakingly fashioned from two great slabs of stone, one half of an intricate design carved on the face of either ornate gate. And when they stood closed, a Mobius strip was formed by their union.

Yet now...

With a pair of dented metal gates and the remains of the crashed Ground Tank blocking his way, getting past would have seemed an impossible fete to a lesser person. The awakened one decided that he would pass over it instead, scaling the formidable obstacle.

The robe-swathed figure thrust his left fist into the gate and used it as a hand-hold to begin his ascent. He thrust his other fist in next, repeating the cycle over and over again.

_Though night lies over this realm, the sun soon will rise again._

**End Of Chapter**

_Author Notes - Hey, little bitta trivia for ya!! The first part o Scene Two, I wrote it a whole year before!! It wuz originally gonna figure inta Chapter Eight, appearin as Sonic sped for the west gates with Lieutenant Omega in rumblin pursuit!! I decided ta cut it at the time, feelin it wuz kinda superfluous ta what wuz goin on!! I also decided ta keep the page it wuz written on, an now I've used it over a year later!! Jus goes ta show, don't count anythin out!! Cuz somewhere down the line, it might come in useful!!_

_Sorry again bout the delay, the conversation took a while ta crack!! So many things for so many ta say, a real job ta get everythin straight!! For another thing too, I kinda had issues with Microsoft Word!! Jus got em resolved the other day, then I got straight ta work!! I can't believe jus how fast I typed up an proof-read this un, kinda like Sonic if he were ta write fanfiction bout himself!! But o course, that'd jus be silly!! Anyway, hope ya'll enjoyed that!! I'll get started on the next as soon as possible, don'cha worry!! An UNTIL the next..._

_Keep On Fightin The Freedom Fight, Victory Shall Come In The End!!_


	23. Citadel Of Stolen Dreams

_Author Notes - Hey, did anyone else check out "Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince"?? When the movie makers said each instalment would be darker, they sure weren't kiddin!! By the final scene, the screen was so dim I could barely make out what was goin on!! On a fairly related note, anyone else know Steven Spielberg was considered to direct the series?? Unbelievable isn't it, jus think!! Ten years down the line, we've have seen special re-releases with dragons and giants digitally inserted into The Great Hall durin breakfast time!! Mind you, that might not have been such a bad alternative to what was done with "Prisoners Of Azkaban"!! I swear, the dude responsible for that deserves what Stuntman Mike received at the end o "Death Proof"!!_

_In other news, they're finally releasin DVD Sets for "Spider-Man The Animated Series"!! Read it and weep "Spider-Man III" for a single episode o this series is way better than ya, squeezing three villains so tight into ya 139 minutes that they hadn't a chance in hell o proper development!! But then, "Spider-Man Unlimited" was way better than ya!! Even though it had nothing to do with Spidey, gettin cancelled before completion to top it off!!_

_Anyway, time for the latest chapter o MBMH!! Here ya'll go, enjoy!!_

**Chapter Twenty-One**  
**A Prison Without Walls; Citadel Of Stolen Dreams**

_"Miles dear!"_

_Miles could not help but sigh as her familiar voice reached his pointed ears._

_He had been practicing running, his bare soles practically bouncing across the springy green grass. The little fox was ready for fun yet, understanding the score here, the twin tailed cub halted respectfully._

_Rosie the Nanny beamed as she waved her smallest charge over. With a village dinner in preparation, her apron was smeared with white._

_"I need an extra bag of flour, do be lovely and pick one up for me! Some of the stuff from Mrs. Fairfeather's will do, just you tell her that it's for me!" she held out a paw in which something was nestled, pressing it into his white-furred palm._

_Miles was left standing there as the woodchuck turned and walked away, looking down at the coin in his paw. As this turn of events sank in, he sighed and altered course. His face gradually brightened as he realized that this change of plans wasn't so bad. The fox boy loved a trip to the shops._

_Mrs. Fairfeather was so nice, always greeting everyone with a smile. The cub was especially welcome and always received a long feathery hug, not to mention a free cookie, whenever visiting the store for any reason. Her most special and favorite customer, that was what the matronly hen had always called him._

_The thatched hut came into sight just as always it did. And judging by the audible sound of chattering, Mrs. Fairfeather had company. If there ever was a gossip, it was her. Always having a juicy tidbit to share, she could have talked not only the day but a month of Sundays away (as Bunnie would put it and indeed quite often had)._

_Miles broke into a run, just tasting chocolate chips already. Finding the green-painted door ajar, he reached for the wooden knob._

_Through the narrow gap, two voices were drifting. The fox-cub stopped quite still, his mind diverted from tasty thoughts._

_"Rosie's probably making dinner by now, I see steam coming from her windows." quoth a deep-sounding voice as rich as fresh whipped cream, the words rolling from the loosest of tongues. "Depending on whether she has enough ingredients, we might just be seeing him in here."_

_"If there's something I'll never understand, it's why you make him so welcome." another voice rasped in response, sounding dry and scratchy as the bluntest of claws mauling a stone. "That little brute will drive away the rest of your customers, you must have noticed Martha doesn't come anymore."_

_"Little do you know, my dear Ethel! By making such a fuss over him, I ensure that most of my neighbors prefer this store!" the first voice spoke again but each word now pulsated with greed like a maggot in rotting meat. "Rosie is The Princess's nanny, after all! And since her ingredients come from me, everybody knows they are worthy of royalty! If putting up with him means customers aplenty, I am quite willing to make the sacrifice! Heaven knows I wouldn't have the funny-looking creature near me otherwise, not him or either of those awful tails!" she was clearly enjoying the scenario she now describing with such relish, "Nobody could blame his poor mother for not wanting him, her only fault lay in being too soft-hearted to put him down! Why, had he come from one of my eggs..."_

_Miles heard yet scarcely believed, the wooden knob feeling like ice in his paw. His fingers were practically fused to it, unable to let go. The world was spinning around him, each word that drifted from behind the colourful door seeming to echo in his mind as though from the end of some long and bending tunnel._

_It was impossible, sweet and kind Mrs. Fairfeather, she could not be talking about..._

_"...I would have taken a single look at him and thrown him straight into a pail of water, spared everyone in Knothole the burden of pretending they do not hate him as much as we all really do!"_

_Miles shook like a leaf as liquid fire welled behind his eyes. He backed away from the source of the black-hearted cackling, staggering as she had just slapped his furry cheek. And since the knob remained in his paw, the door went with him. He froze as the voices fell silent, their respective owners realizing they had unexpected company._

_Their eyes turned on the cub like a pair of magnifying glasses over an insect._

_Dame Ethel stood before the counter with a shopping basket dangling from a gnarled paw, her green eyes poisonous in the afternoon sunlight as she gazed at the doorway. "Gracious me! Do my nostrils detect the smell of something burning around here?" Her lips curved into a gloating smirk, though whether over the expression on the listening cub's face or the disaster which the loose-tongue had brought upon itself, that was something the elderly feline alone knew._

_Mrs. Fairfeather sat in a rocking chair, her tail-feathers visible even from the front. Seeing the speechless and bewildered cub, she gave a well-practiced smile. "Well, if it isn't my most special and favorite customer! Has Rosie sent her helper for a few things? Hmm, I'm sure I know what he'd like to go with them!" Her voice was a syrupy coo as she beckoned the fox with one wing, reaching into a jar with the second and bringing out not one but two cookies._

_Miles turned and ran, his legs shaking violently beneath him. Though he told nobody the reason why, he never went into that store again._

Tails rolled over with a moan.

He felt like a child's toy whose stuffing was disorientation.

Padded walls or metal bars or blue curtains, he wondered which would greet his eyes when they flicked open. His first mental question at least was answered as he exceeded the maximum limit of rolling space, the floor revealed as neither rubber or wood or stone as it met with his aching ribs.

Whatever the fox landed on had fur which tickled. He spat out a mouthful and then gawped down at the thing.

And it was a carpet whose size staggered him. Its fabric was so very expansive that the floor could not be seen.

_Now I know I'm crazy, the biggest carpet I ever saw is Sally's and that comes nowhere near this one, you can see most of her floorboards!_ thought the dazed fox-cub.

The floor itself lay within a bedroom although, as a matter of fact, bedroom wasn't a word which did it justice enough. He once heard the word bedchamber and assumed there was no real difference, an assumption that was now proven wrong. The sheer difference was made clearer than the brightest day in spring by the picture which slammed into his disbelieving eyes, bringing him further reason to question his sanity.

A space so wide could accommodate the huts of three Knothole Villagers.

Directly opposite the bed he'd just fallen off, a pair of dusty glass double-doors stood. And rather than to a corridor, they led to the sky itself. No, a platform in the sky, he realized after a brief moment of confusion. He could just make out a table, that and two chairs facing each other across it.

_Windows are for looking through and checking the time of day, not for sitting in and drinking tea! _Tails shook his head disbelievingly as he wondered whether the aristocrasy were insane.

As he tore his dazed eyes from the view of cloudy grey sky, he discovered that another unexpectedly grandiose sight lay waiting to ambush him. The bed was like no other, his own simply paled in comparison to it. The azure blanket looked so smooth, it might have been the sea. The silken drapes must once have been beautiful, though the moths had dined greedily on them.

_There's a mystery solved, this was a girl's room. Huh, unless Robotnik really digs pink. _Tails couldn't resist the smirk which he felt tugging at the corner of his white-furred lips.

"Droppin' off comes before sleepin', not after wakin' up again."

As he glanced over his shoulder, Tails got a distinct feeling of deja vu.

Zero resembled an overgrown child as he crouched on the floor. Yet rather than eager to play, his grin was distinctly ill-natured.

"Jus' can't be different enough, can ya?" he said, returning the less than joyful stare of the wary fox.

His own eyes would have been at home in the head of some predator.

And the fox was his fated prey.

He had been for a longer time than either of them could have imagined.

"So, you're what brings me here?" Tails didn't even raise an eyebrow though his heart had just entered orbit, "For a big boy like you, the door must've been a tight squeeze."

He focused his sparse energy on the monumental task of standing up, his legs nearly folding like paper as he took a few experimental steps. They proved a few steps too far and he soon slumped back into his recent kneeling position, panting and swaying.

Zero gave a lazy tilt of the head, his dark mane like a curtain blowing in the wind. "Ya a real smart ass, anyone ever tell ya that?"

The man narrowed an eye whose white was colder than ice.

Meeting it was like gazing into a tornado for the fox.

Not only entrancing but deeply and truly terrifying.

Tails braced his shoulder against the bed, struggling to rise as though a pool of Mega Muck was dragging him down. Though both legs still swayed, he refused to give up. This body belonged to him, not the other way around.

"No but I was called a little bastard yesterday. Anyway, why am I here?" he asked blandly.

Zero gave a laugh which would have shamed the braying of an ass, "Seein' as the lil' fox pulled the bone outta the ol' geezer's windpipe, it seems he'll live his last couple o' years out after all – the moral o' this fable bein' ya just missed one helluva show. When he saw what Optimus Blimp wuz doin' ta ya, the ol wuzzle burst a blood vessel – no puttin' a rabbit's head inta fatso's hat this time, instead he pointed those fingers and made with some freaky lightning. Ya shoulda heard the swine squeal when it touched him, I reckon he might actually have messed himself..." his narrative glowed with enthusiasm as these crushing indignities were detailed with great joy.

The Hunter Executioner sounded like a schoolboy describing another schoolboy's humiliation in the cafeteria.

It reminded Tails uncomfortably of some of the other children in Knothole.

"He doesn't have a hat." the fox pointed out.

"He doesn't have hair, who gives a damn?" Zero snapped, "Anyway, he rolled around like some kid who'd stubbed his toe. Even grabbed holda the table cloth, pullin' every thing onta the bloody floor. And when he got tired o' merriment an' revelry, the ol' party animal put him outta his misery."

"What?!!" Tails would have folded up again if the bed had not been supporting his body. "Naugus killed him?!!"

He was shaken to the core by what he'd just heard.

Mobius had been dominated by Robotnik for the majority of his short life.

Trying to grasp the death of the tyrant was too crazy for words.

Zero made a scornful 'pfft' sound and his vindictive grin widened like a fissure. If eyes were the windows to one's soul then his provided a view of deepest hell. "No such luck for the great goon, Doctor Claw told him to clean up the mess with his tongue. Then he left him snivellin' on the floor, seein' as his mind wuz on ya. Ya were jus' lyin' there, turns out ya'd fainted. Ta find accommodations befittin' one so small yet so worthy, I reckon were more or less his words. Took me a while but in the end I managed ta find this place, though it sure seems the former tenant o' this fine hacienda was colour-blind..."

The Hunter Executioner rose at last to full height, becoming a figure of even greater magnificence in the process. To some fearsome beast rising from ocean depths, one could have likened the muscle-bound human

"Or maybe he had a daughter." Tails said almost without realizing as the words springing to his dried lips. His head nodded slightly as something fell into place within, the identity of the person who had once slept here. In pretty much another life, this bedchamber had belonged to none other than Princess Sally.

Zero shrugged with most supreme indifference, his shoulder rising like a mountain to form another continent. "Whatever. Upshot is, ya have the freedom o' the city. I waited long enough ta tell ya not to wander too far just now, the horny devil's gonna send for ya once he's got his breath back."

He turned and squeezed through the doorway without another word.

The Hunter Executioner was soon gone although his heavy footfalls took a while to cease echoing.

Tails remained standing in solitude, a drop of bright present amidst faded yesteryear. With little other alternative, he mulled over the words of The Hunter Executioner.

_Now let's just get this straight...instead of being locked up again I'm free to go wherever I want without even a SWATbot to babysit me? That's pretty trusting for an insane yo-yo trying to take over the world, in fact it's the exact opposite of...well I was thinking of how Robotnik did things, though now I'm thinking of how Sally was treating me. _

His expression became one of blankness as those blue eyes emptied like an overturned glass. It felt as though he was seeing clearly for the first time ever.

_For nine years of my life, she was all rainbows and sunshine. But when I decided I wasn't going to do what she said anymore, she started acting like she hated me. She hurt me so bloody much, not just with that stick either. So much for my Aunt Sally, so much for everything I believed in. Naugus, everyone says he's wicked and cruel but the way the 'evil' one treats me is the opposite of how the 'good' side acted when push came to shove. I bet Sally isn't even gonna be punished for beating me, Her Princessness probably got away with it and went right back to sucking Sonic's..._

Tails halted his train of thought gone wild, hot air now hissing between his clenched teeth. Despite the struggle to hold it back, the tide of rage had proved unstoppable. He would have given anything to forget everything that had happened over the past weeks. The forsaken soul turned toward the doorway and embraced his hollow liberty, needing to get out of there.

The fox-cub was a tiny cloud in endless twilight, drifting aimlessly through neither light nor darkness.

Whichever direction his bare and restless feet took, stillness and silence were his only companions.

_Saying I'm free doesn't make me free, it's not like there's anywhere for me to go. I'm just in an even bigger prison, a prison without walls._

His eyes blinked in dull surprise as an unexpected sight sprawled before them.

He stopped in time to avoid a tumble which would have been long indeed.

The entrance hall lay below, a place which housed many phantoms of the past. People had come and gone through this place, their whispers the only thing which lingered now. A stairway of rust-flecked metal seized the attention of the fox. It had rarely been used since elevators had been installed in Command Central.

Tails came to a conclusion as he looked wearily down at the flight of steps.

He could not be bothered to actually walk down them.

Flopping down on the banister, he surrendered himself completely to gravity and slid to the bottom. His bare feet touched the floor, having been perfectly safe in the hands of physics.

A doorway to grey gaze was large even from this distance. The cool caress of wind could be felt even though a hallway lay between it and the fox.

That the city streets lay right outside was a realization dizzying in its implications. For one with the ability to fly, it would be easy as pie to get away. Freedom was practically within reach if the fox would only reach out and take it. The prospect was a firework which soon fizzled, however.

_So I get out of this hellhole, what then? Run off back to Knothole, present myself to The Freedom Fighters? Look at the ground while Sally wags her finger and tells me it was stupid to leave the village, let Bunnie pick me up and squeeze me like a little cub who'll never go past the age of five? Say sorry to everyone and then wash the dishes for a week as punishment for being a bad ickle cub before going back to playing happy families like though none of it ever happened? I'd rather get a knife and cut..._

Tails reached up with his paw and slapped his white-furred cheek. He had sworn not to think of the people back in the village which was now closed to him.

The fox turned away in bitterness with a face harder than stone. And gave a blink of sudden surprise.

A figure stood between the stairs and the doorway, silent and unmoving. It resembled a suit of armor at first, some relic left over from the days before technological warfare had become the norm. The assumption seemed reasonable given that it was holding a grand sword in salute. Yet were a hollow visor should have been was a face.

The stern yet gentle features were those of an austere-looking coyote...

Tails was not alone in this hall for there stood one of the roboticized. Realizing that he'd been seen slapping his own cheek, the fox looked down with a rush of embarrassment.

His gaze fell upon something draped over the arm of the WORKERbot. None other than a moldy yellow cape, one which had been woven to flow from a pair of broad shoulders and struck him as horribly familiar. The fox could not prevent a sickened gasp, realizing what this meant. His stomach seemed to twist, clutched in horror's skeletal claw.

The eyes of the coyote waited for his as he looked up, sadness frozen within them. The once-living coyote had been turned into a coat-hook.

"Bastard...the bastard!!!!!! Pissing himself...that was too good for him!!!!!!"

Tails's fingers curled into claws, claws tingling with fresh rage. They latched onto the long-forgotten garment, yanking it viciously from the motionless arm. They did not stop there, gripping one side and tearing. Decayed as everything else here, the stitches quickly gave way.

The material came to pieces in frenzy-fuelled paws, paws which would have loved to do the same to its former wearer. Tails continued to shred and tear, attacking the cape and everything which was wrong in the world. And just like the countless lives which had been ripped apart over the last ten years, two pawfuls of tattered cloth were soon all that remained. As his clenching fingers gripped the yellow strips, the lost fox-cub could feel it building inside him.

A scream of misery that nobody deserved to feel.

A scream of misery which the fox gulped down as he wrestled for mastery over himself.

He would not be the victim anymore; he refused to feel like a helpless child. He took a deep long breath through his wide-open mouth, expelling the anguish that had risen like lava from a volcano.

"Guess you don't know what to make of me, huh? That's okay, I don't know anymore either."

Tails spoke like a sleep talker, his voice almost unnaturally calm. Into a smile curved his lips, not one of utter insanity or bitter defiance. It was of sadness pure and undisguised, that of folly which had been acknowledged at last. His fingers parted one after another, allowing the tattered strips of yellow to flutter away unnoticed.

"You don't mind if I talk to you, right? There's so much I want to get off my chest, I think I might go nuts if I don't. Everyone else here either hates me, couldn't care less or would use it against me later. That just leaves you so please, can I? You know, you remind me of someone. He's way braver than most people realize, maybe even the bravest of us all. He does brave things when nobody else can, when we most need someone to be brave. And... I called him a coward."

Pride and stubbornness had held in place the gates of denial which kept out the harshness of reality. Crushing realization now battered them into pieces. Tails stood in silence for a while, finding it physically impossible to continue. The shame was deeper than any shadow, so powerful that it almost choked him.

"I didn't mean it but...I said it. You see, there's a girl in the village who I kind of...well, like. She's totally beautiful and she's really strong, she has a voice that's so pretty and she has...uh, you know. But the thing is, she's older than me, I mean, I'm ten going on eleven and she's like...a lady. She doesn't even know how I feel; she'd probably laugh and think I was joking if I told her. And that's not even all, that guy I was talking about...she likes him. That's why I was really mad, I'm only understanding this right now...I was jealous, jealous and selfish. Antoine deserves Bunnie, he's a better Freedom Fighter than I'd be...it doesn't really matter anyway; I'll probably never see her again. And she definitely doesn't want to see me; I...said some terrible things to her as well."

Unforgettable memories flitted through his wistful mind like tropical fish swimming in the ocean.

Walking in the morning sunshine with Bunnie, her smooth arm linked affectionately with his.

Bunnie standing in a clear river, sparkling water rippling around her waist.

Bunnie leaning in closer than close, pressing her silky lips to his muzzle.

He had enjoyed their moments of closeness, falling under a spell with each instance.

But with the realization that to hope for more was futile, his feelings had grown as sour as forgotten grapes.

"Look, I'm sorry. I bet you have other stuff to think about, stuff more important than listening to someone else whine. But thank you for letting me talk and I'm sorry for what happened to you. I wish I could do something, make it so that I was roboticized and you were free. Maybe the Freedom Fighters will finish The Deroboticizer, change you and everyone else back one day. I hope so, I honestly do. Well, I'll be on my way. Goodbye. Sorry."

Tails turned and lurched away like a zombie, murmuring that final word over and over again. 'Sorry' was a worthy description of the fox, even more fitting than his fur-coat. Though he'd just confessed his feelings, relief couldn't have been more distant. While sulking on a child's swing two weeks before, he had felt like there was nobody who cared.

Rather than the truth sinking in, the fox was submerged in truth. There had been many people who cared about him so deeply it hurt and he had pushed every last one of them away out of anger and spite. Now there was nobody. All because of himself.

_There's only one person who can help me now...and another who can convince me to ask him._

The cybernetic-skinned coyote remained standing still, still as though bound in invisible chains

Grey dust clung to his metallic cheek, coating one layer of lifelessness with another.

An inky substance oozed from his left eye and melted a trench in that gritty coating.

The solitary tear consisted of oil born from two elements that had just come together

Grief for the state of this world and pride for a son who had done well indeed.

**(Antoine...if what he told me is true then you are a true Knight of Mobotropolis.)**_  
_

* * *

The legs of the young never tire. Thus it had been said many years ago.

The awakened one could hardly have been called young, having been there to see many suns rise and fall. As he walked through street after street without rest, aged couldn't have been considered an accurate description.

With the crumbled husks of buildings dominating his surrounds, it was like exploring a lost civilization. Somewhere within this citadel of stolen dreams, the eyes of truth would finally open.

Destiny and doom lay in wait. The future was upon every living soul.

_Whether light will shine in the darkness or darkness will engulf the light, here the question shall be answered now and forev...?_

_A_ building had just leapt to his eye. Specifically the sign displayed directly above its ramshackle door.

Two stylish sneakers framed the name, the name being "Fredrico Flamingo's Funky Footwear". The words were as bright flames which attracted the visitor like a purple moth.

A circular hole wide enough for anyone interested enough to pass through had been cut in the display window. An unspoken offer which now was taken as the purple-hooded head ducked on its way into the store.

_......hold that thought._

**End Of Chapter**

_Author Notes – In case anyone's wonderin why Captain Depardieu didn't try to apprehend Tails, everyone and everything in the city has been commanded to treat him respectfully!! The gallant captain almost slipped thru the cracks, only remembered and given instructions as an afterthought!! __I hope everyone enjoyed that, I'll soon continue with luck!! Until then..._

_Never Give Up The Freedom Fight Until The Freedom Fight Is Done!! (Maybe our heroes would have prevailed far sooner, had they prosecuted Robotnik for income tax evasion...)_


	24. The Forgotten SWATbot

_Author Notes - Sorry, I guess this chapter took way too long to materialise. Considering I managed to re-read most of the "Deptford Mice" books before I finished it, (the original series, the prequels and the two midequels currently available) I'd say that's a pretty easy guess. Anyway, I hope nobody got too tired of waiting. You may have noticed, Act III's opening has followed a kind of pattern. Switching between the events in Knothole Village and Robotropolis, the journey of the awakened one unfolding alongside both. Just thought I'd let you all know, one more chapter like that will follow. And then..._

_Speaking of the series, I can't believe we haven't gotten movie adaptations of the "Deptford Mice" series! Well actually, I kind of can. If the movies were 100% faithful to the books, (gory deaths and all) there's no way their ratings would permit kids to watch them. And since most other cinema-goers would turn their noses up at flicks about talking animals, it's tricky to imagine how they'd garner a profit to justify making them. Just kind of annoys me, that's all. These books should have the following that "Harry Potter" earned and "Twilight" doesn't deserve a fraction of, seriously. I'm sorry if this sounds like repeating myself but again, check out "The Deptford Mice" if you get the chance._

_I hope you all enjoy this, consider it an early Christmas gift._

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

**This Is Robotropolis; The Forgotten SWATbot**

Darkest night had come to Knothole and showed no sign of leaving.

Some distance from the eastern foot of the ravine which housed their village, a number of people had come stalking just to stand in tight groups. From foxes to budgies and geckos to terrapins, members from many different species were arrayed there. Just as their faces ranged from furry to scaly, each of them wore an expression which also varied. For some it was either deep concern or sickened fear, though for just as many there was also sheer anger or festering hatred. Whichever attitude was theirs, the focus of every tense discussion and relentless stare was the same.

Directly before the rock-face stood a squirrel and a hedgehog, accompanied in their vigil by a rabbit and a walrus. With each of their backs turned on the crowd, the four waited in unbearable discomfort for their elevator.

Sally could not shake the feeling of dream-like unreality which had settled upon her. It was a truly amazing thing just how quickly and enormously circumstances could change.

Merely two weeks ago, she and her fellow Freedom Fighters had stood here like this - this very sky had been rich with shimmering clouds, though a tide of darkness impenetrable flooded it now. Their hopeful spirits had soared heavenward with optimism, though each heart was now leaden with troubles - the group of teenagers had felt like heroes as friends and neighbours gathered to cheer them on, though those joyful blessings had now turned to muttered curses for naught but evil and sorrow had followed.

The Princess understood only too well that they were frightened, every last one among them and more than ever before - to the few who had escaped the take-over of Mobotropolis, this isolated village was everything now. Forced by cruel fate to start all over again, these exiled people had built a whole new kingdom - here, they had regained a sense of home day by day. And as the possibility of their lives being destroyed a second time reared its head, such fear was more than understandable - yet as venomous blame fanned its flames, their fear had turned swiftly to rancour.

_I acknowledge their way of dealing with things as understandable, however it brings them no immunity from my contempt. How ironic that I assumed grown-up responsibilities at such a young age for their sakes, whereas they now behave no better than a pack of selfish children._

A gentle arm slipped around her slumping shoulders, guiding back her thoughts from bitterly brooding resentment - even before responding to this touch, the squirrel knew who stood there. Loving tenderness itself was his face, though his body was mostly prickles - she could have stood like this forever, wandering in those eyes of warmth unyielding. He was like a guiding star, promising there was nothing to fear - she could almost have believed it entirely true, as children believe in fairies and pumpkin carriages. Yet for better or worse, both of them knew better - knew they must live in the real world, accepting all the heartbreaking realities which it presented.

_After all, someone must watch over the children..._

"I meant it when I said it then an I mean it when I say it now, Sal. We'll get Tails back an bring him home." Sonic was there for his Princess, caressing her shoulder with a paw. "Then everythin'll be how it should again. It'll happen, Sonic Sez!"

"Thank you, Sonic. But you can't promise me that, no more than I could Tails." Sally gave a sigh and shook her head, her face adorned with a smile of sadness. "Though I pray he will forgive me, I know that he will never forget. Things that are shattered can never be restored, only mended as best we are able."

"Aw Sal, of course he'll forgive ya! Ya his Aunt Sally, for cryin out..."

"Sugah Hog...Ah think Sally Girl means that even if yuh glue a broken mug togetha again, the cracks will always be there." Bunnie answered in place of the squirrel, her rough voice a quiet yet harsh wind - she hugged her sides with mismatching arms, facing ahead as though dismissing what lay behind. "All the things we said tuh Tails n the things he said tuh us, we'll nevah forget even if we do forgive...the same way Ah'll nevah forget what that ol bitch said about me."

"Bunnie, don't talk that way." Rotor muttered, his voice heavy with the weight inside. "I know how you must feel but..."

"Do yuh, Rotor? Do yuh really understand what it feels like bein called a devil by one of yuh neighbours? Someone who used tuh smile at yuh as yuh walked by their porch, used tuh stroke yuh ears n say how pretty yuh ribbons were?" Bunnie partially turned to glance at the walrus, her long ears twitching as though electrically shocked - her paw planted itself against a shapely hip, thrust there as anger coursed through those veins. Though she appeared perfectly calm from the outside, inside the rabbit suffered from a raw wound - indeed the words now spoken were like dying flowers, reflecting her feelings which had been so deeply hurt. "Well if that's how she feels n if the rest of them agree with her, Ah'm havin nothin more tuh do with any of them. Ah'll tell ya'll this too, Ah won't have Tails treated the way Ah was. When we get the little sweetheart back, Ah might jest take him n go away somewhere."

"Bunnie!" Sally stared in disbelief at the rabbit, wondering whether her friend had gone insane. "What do you mean?"

"This, Sally Girl - whethah we evah get back that dreadful city or not, Ah frankly don't _give_ a damn anymore. Someplace Ah used tuh live, that's all it really is - n this doggon place, it's no better at all." Bunnie turned away from their questioning stares, either refusing or unable to meet them - she made her meaning perfectly plain, each word the defininition of resolute. "It's dark n cold, full o things yuh can't trust as far as yuh could throw the place - Knothole n Robotropolis, they're both the same tuh me now." Her voice was flat as she spoke, flatter than iron beneath the blacksmith's hammer - the rabbit was fighting bitterly against tears however, each of the other three could sense it. "Ah've decided Ah don't need that city or this village, Ah don't need em any more than Ah need mah ol body back - Ah'll settle for bein happy, Ah have everah right tuh be happy n so does Tails. Maybe we could go tuh Boulder Bay, Ah'm sure he'd love seein his dear ol friend again n swimmin in the sea there - n Ah'm strong enough tuh protect us both from whatevah might come along, we'd do jest fine."

"Uh, don't take this the wrong way..." Sonic rubbed the back of his prickly head, knowing just how this was going to sound - although he didn't want to upset his friend, the hedgehog believed this needed to be said. "...but Bunnie, that ain't really ya choice!"

"If yuh want tuh come along, then ya'll will be quite welcome - but whatevah happens, Ah will give Tails a happy endin." Bunnie was gazing steadily at the cliffside, seeming not to have heard that comment - she had been spontaneously failed by those ears, either that or she didn't care to hear. "Not one from a story book, a real happy endin this time - if ya'll choose tuh stay, then that's fine n dandy too."

Rotor looked keenly at the rabbit, sensing what this was actually about. Though wounded deeply by the betrayal they had committed, her bitter anger was not solely for the villagers. She felt much more wronged by someone else, a person who had gone unmentioned so far. This person did not stand among them, absent from the group bound for Robotropolis. And their name was neither Dulcy nor Ari, the ram and the dragon having set forth to perform aerial reconnaissance.

"Bunnie, are you being driven away by the people behind us or choosing to run away from how you feel about Antoine?"

The question hung in the air so heavily it was like mist. There came no answer at all but then it didn't need one.

A whine of pulleys drifted to the ground, bringing the sheer tension to a merciful end. A familiar basket of wood descended more gracefully, soon to bear the four heavenward. Its temporary replacement having been dismantled at last, the regular elevator was back in service. Regardless the heavy baggage they shared, it was time to leave Knothole. Although a busy night indeed lay ahead, they took one last look back. And from the sea of faces which awaited, each of them took away something different.

Mrs Fairfeather was there as nobody could deny, a feathery brown mass wedged between uncomfortable figures - when such a juicy scene was going on somewhere, thousand fold Doomsday Pods wouldn't keep away the hen. As Sally's and Tails's raging argument had echoed across the village, it had been just like a birthday and Christmas come early. While the other village gossips speculated over what had started it, she had secretly been longing to hear them begin screaming again.

Once informed The Princess was about to set off for the city, her eyes and ears had been flown straight here as though magnetised. The hen had been delighted to offer words dripping with sympathy, declare that she would be praying for dear little Miles's safe return. Sally had answered with a smile of gratitude, believing every syllable to have been gospel truth. Yet there was one whom had _not_ believed, somebody whose bristling back had swung toward the hen. As the embers of old anger had smouldered anew, Bunnie had pursed her lips and held her tongue.

Uncle Chuck stood agleam beneath the twinkling stars, a thumb of metal among fingers of fur and feather. The roboticized hedgehog nodded and smiled at each Freedom Fighter, spectacularly ignoring the constant glares of fearful revulsion and irrational reproach. One might have thought he didn't notice the faces of the villagers, though in actuality he didn't care so much as one whit. He was a knight of Mobotropolis to the deepest core, ardently set on helping them despite their current opinion of him. He would stay while this crisis continued, riding it out to the very end. And whether that end proved bitter or sweet, his mind would turn eventually to another matter. Whether from a hut in this village or a shack in The Great Swamp, the riddle of deroboticization would be solved and the nightmare of roboticization ended at last. Sonic flashed the prestigious thumbs up, delighted to receive one in return.

Lewis the Pig and Flicky the Parrot too were part of the throng, their 'rivalry' with the Freedom Fighters a thing of the distant past. A wing and a trotter now rose together, saluting the heroes their owners had always emulated. Rosie stood waving, the dearly familiar red cape snug around her shoulders. Yet she wore something warmer still, a sweet smile of unconditional and undiminished love. Mr and Mrs Dachs were together as usual, paw in paw like two sweethearts linked for eternity. Their white-streaked faces beamed with encouragement, beseeching silently for the deliverance of Tails. As a lump welled in his throat, Rotor found it difficult to turn away.

Sally did just that without another moment's hesitation, her inner resolve grappling with an identical turmoil. The squirrel knew that if she didn't, then she would never be able to. Against the earth bumped the elevator, providing no more reason for delay. Along with Bunnie and Sally, Sonic and Rotor faced forward.

"Come, my friends. To Robotropolis and whatever the future holds for us."

"You said it, Lady Muck!" a voice came hollering from the crowd, "Bon Voyage and do us all a giant favour, don't come back!"

It belonged to none other than 'Big Mouth' Barry, a kookaburra whose talent lay in stirring ill feeling. Normally everyone knew better than to pay him mind, however his audience was feeling much differently that night. Since the peanut gallery yearned to blame someone for their tenuous situation, a storm of appreciative laughter and like-minded comments followed this epistle.

"_Now there's something you don't see every night_!!!!!! _The weenies are sneaking off after the roast_!!!!!!"

"_Great job, letting that pasty worm into our home_!!!!!! _While you're in the neighbourhood, why don't you invite his uncle to join our book-club_?!!"

"_Some damn heroes you are_!!!!!! _If your showing off doesn't get us all roboticized, it'll get us all an early cremation_!!!!!!"

"_My hut is gone, where are my kittens and I going to sleep now_?!! _Don't even bother answering that, I hope you people and that two-tailed freak never come back_!!!!!!"

Sally felt Bunnie flinch by her side, verging on whirling to spit a retort. The squirrel could not have prevented the rabbit, sick to the pit of her stomach. Sonic seemed ready to follow the lapin leader, a deep growl rising from his throat. Neither he nor she said anything however, for the answer came from quarters much loftier.

"BE SILENT!"

The hateful jeering immediately plunged into dead silence, every soul jumping as a deep voice roared. In fact so unexpected was this sound, many who heard it looked up into the sky. As they had been menaced by fire that day, an ungodly downpour wouldn't have surprised them this night. As though in mockery of the chaos-stricken earth, there was not a faint wisp of black cloud above however. As many others had already discovered by now, the bellow came from a source much nearer indeed. And considering the precise nature of that source, they would rather have faced flames or thunderbolts.

King Acorn had come into hearing range just in time for that insult, striding forward with a face both calm and terrible in the same expression - as the regal squirrel looked upon them and spoke again, his voice and eyes were both thunder and flames enough. "Well? Whose voice was heard in the moment just passed? Who is courageous enough to hurl anonymous insults from the heart of a crowd yet shrivels in cowardice when the time comes to step forward alone and lay claim to those words? Speak now or else be condemned to craven silence forevermore!" His gaze of contempt burned and words of scorn rumbled, leaving the nervous people in shame-faced and embarrassed silence - having never felt more ashamed than that moment to be Mobian, His Majesty waited grimly to see whether this challenge would be accepted.

There was a rustle as many people stepped aside, fur and feathers brushing with this nervous parting. Like a solitary crab cringing on the floor of The Red Sea, a figure was revealed.

'Big Mouth' Barry was left to stare at them all, a court jester who now stood bereft of his audience. He had enjoyed being the centre of attention for once, having finally told a joke that took everyone by storm. Now nobody would even meet the bird's eye, the loudest grumblers suddenly anxious to disassociate themselves from him. As he sought support from a single person standing there however, a critic who had plenty to say about the joke now approached.

King Acorn knew the agitator had not been unmasked willingly, though chose still to let it pass for mercy's sake - yet this was the only quarter the bird was shown, for His Majesty struck with the blade of his tongue. "If you would vilify they whom now stake life and limb for the sake of a child, then I ask only that you to go elsewhere so that your unworthy presence does not sully this parting. If you would remain among those standing here, then rest your tongue and exercise your mind in seeking a way to serve more than the purpose of dissent. This is an hour in which friends and neighbours must stand together or be destroyed, no place is there for he who desires only to point his finger in rancour." Though he shouted no longer his voice retained great resonance, reaching every pair of ears that listened - knowing that what was said was intended for all, many another villager shuffled their feet to remember their own catcalls.

Barry tried to smile nonchalantly but it was a candle in the wind, the weakest spark of an expression which was extinguished by those grim eyes. Having gone to much effort to gain attention, he could hardly complain that his wish hadn't been granted. Profoundly feeling the eyes of the other villagers watching his humiliation, he was forced to wonder whether this had really been worthwhile. Ironically the kookaburra now learned the same lesson as who had been mocked, that friendship in fair weather are no use when cometh the storm.

Sally had waited ever since he arrived, however she still wasn't prepared for them. As father turned to face her at last, his eyes left the squirrel gagged with emotion. She knew in her skin and bones as she met them, his tortured mind wondered whether he would see his daughter again. And not because he feared she would fall into the darkness of Robotropolis, not for that reason alone anyway. It was a question of why she would _desire_ to come back, having been spat in the face by the people for whom she had fought. She wanted to reach out and touch him, allow her reassuring voice assuage his doubts. Yet this was something she couldn't do, couldn't because she simply _didn't_ know. Did not know whether she would return, whether she even really _wanted_ to.

_I begin to think Bunnie may be right, that there is no reason to continue fighting. When a child to whom I am bound by duty and love needs me, do I have time for those who spurn and mock my friends? For ten whole years of my life, I have been torn between many duties. Being Princess of the Mobian people, being leader of The Freedom Fighters. Perhaps the time has come to choose, abdicate other duties and focus on one alone. Ensuring that Tails is cared for and happy, precisely as I vowed in The Great Swamp. This may be our final battle, whether or not we survive it._

There was more on the mind of the father than the daughter could ever have dreamt, so much more indeed. As he gazed upon she who stood so near yet had never seemed further away, that face was calmness itself. A composed and dignified shield to guard the thoughts which gnawed beyond, the memories of a recently held conversation.

_"Your Majesty, forgive this intrusion. Please, may I speak a word?"_

_"Always, Rosie. But of what would you speak, for you look as though troubled."_

_"The Princess asked me about...her."_

_"......I see. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Rosie. Be worried no longer, for I shall do what must be done."_

Words made their way to his lips, crying out for release. Release they didn't receive, for those lips clamped tightly closed as she gazed back with careworn eyes.

King Acorn could not bear to do it, bring further turmoil to his already overwhelmed daughter. He resolved to hold that tongue for a while longer, maintain tactful silence until the state of affairs was stable enough. When she returned from that accursed city, she and the other parties concerned would be told everything. Not _if_ she returned alive and well to her waiting father, _when_ as he told himself repeatedly while striving to believe it.

_I must have faith the day shall come...though I wish I knew what they will say when they both finally know._

Sally turned away with regret which clung like lingering strands of broken cobweb, knowing that if they were to leave then it must be now. Although the current strands tugged with only the faintest inclination to turn back, the spider of inner-weakness might weave stronger ones if given the time. The squirrel sensed each of her friends following her lead, clearly sensing their strong urgency to outrun this same anxiety. They stepped together into the waiting elevator, every last one of the four driven by thoughts of Tails.

Bunnie began to reach for the wooden lever with her cybernetic paw, coming to her senses and substituting the gentler paw just in time. Rotor would have been able to repair it in a gnat's sniff, however that was not the point. The rabbit didn't want to spend longer than she needed in this place, that was all. It didn't just say lots that she was gladder to escape the village than she ever had been to escape the city, it spoke a thirty story library with an extensive archive to boot.

After the spaciousness which its temporary replacement had afforded, standing in the regular elevator brought twinges of unexpected claustrophobia. It was rather like the entire village right now, something they had taken for granted yet now felt like a prison. This perspective of their home was hideously unsettling, terrifying beyond words to allow in their mind. The place that once gave eternal promise of safety and security had changed, a fact which made each of their skins crawl.

_Yes, Bunnie was right..._ Sally lifted her eyes to the endless expanse of untouchable beauty above her, her tears swelling like beads before spilling over her cheeks to behold it. _...this place is Robotropolis._

* * *

In the days after another overlord came to sit upon its throne, the winds of change had finally swept over the city of Robotropolis.

Though sounds and smells of industry had once filled them, the abandonment of the factories left dead silence and stale air - every WORKERbot which had been roboticized over the years and SWATbot that was not destroyed on Doomsday had been summoned to Command Central, an amassed blank faced and unflincing legion which stood to attention as their former master pledged them to the service of his successor. Yet as meticulously carried out though they may be, the most sweeping changes cannot reach absolutely every corner.

And sure enough, one rusting SWATbot had slipped through the cracks. Having failed to receive the summons because of malfunctioning transmission-receptors, the mechanical soldier continued patrolling the streets long after Ixis Naugus supplanted Doctor Robotnik. Apart from a brief encounter with a certain fleet-footed chilidog-hijacking hedgehog, the renegade machine had found nothing and nobody to shoot at over those months.

This precise moment was another story.

The SWATbot loomed like a pillar of metal on the deeply cracked sidewalk, staring through the display window of a store which had once sold shoes. Had the still somewhat functioning built-in heat-sensors not alerted the robot, then the Mobian-sized hole which had been cut into the pane would have. An organic being of some kind was inside the otherwise long deserted structure, an organic being which trespassed against the master the robot didn't realise it served no longer.

**_"Come out...with your hands behind...your head."_** The one-eyed watchman waited as only a machine could, levelling a clenched metallic fist at the vandalised store window. Even though the voice-synthesiser was as degraded as the transmission-receptors, the wrist-mounted laser remained as intact as the heat-sensors. Should the unseen intruder not emerge as commanded, a flash of merciless vermillion would send shadows fleeing from the street. **_"Deviate...from these instructions and I will fire with extreme...force."_**

Behind the pane of grit encrusted glass stirred a shape, the silhouette of a person rising to their full height. Through the gap a set of blue hedgehog quills had once created, the apprehended intruder calmly stepped with a swish of its silken robe. The awakened one halted sedately in front of the robot, the hooded head resembling the wick of a purple candle. Even though The SWATbot had no way of realising it, the figure now stood inches taller in a pair of stolen sneakers.

**_"Organic life-form...you are under arrest."_** The SWATbot would have grinned far wider than The Chesire Cat, were it possible for that inexpressive face to harbour any emotion. After months spent pounding a lonely meaningless beat, a tribute of roboticization fodder would be delivered. **_"By order of Robotnik..."_**

"Lifeless aberration, trifle with me and I will give you reason to rue the day you were never born."

An arm swung without warning from a robed side, its clenched fist cannoning into the abdomen of the robot. Lifted from the sidewalk by this blow of uncanny strength, the SWATbot received a fleeting glimpse of that desolate grey sky. An involuntary somersault brought that lone eye to scrutinise the drab ground, providing an overhead view of the figure that met its gaze silently. As the law of gravity subpoenaed its target to appear within range, the _other_ purple-sleeved and sinew-packed arm rose to greet it.

The only sky-diving SWATbot in recorded history made a perfect landing, the only shortcoming of which being that it landed in two broken pieces. As though an assembly-line had been bombed in another street, loose circuits and jagged metal rained down on this one. Crackling on the ground lay the forgotten SWATbot, another chunk of scrap in a steadily decaying city. Its malfunctioning eye flickering and then finally winking out, the machine gave up the ghost it had never possessed.

The awakened one strode on without even a glance back, a peach-furred lip curling with disdain beneath that hood. Rather like an irritating bug one had just swatted, the upstart automaton was soon purged from mind entirely. There were weightier matters on that fathomless mind, a list the meaningless machine did not make. And once the key to their solution had been retrieved, those issues would be worked through most thoroughly indeed.

A colossal building marked the end of this last leg of the journey, one that resembled the most intact fang in a black and rotting maw. The place from which flowed the darkness of despair which covered this land, that was where the light of hope would finally burst into being. And that source of both light and darkness was Command Central.

**End Of Chapter**

_Author Notes - I put my dog to sleep recently. I went out into the back-yard one morning and found him lying on his back, kicking his legs in the air as he tried to get up. The look that was on his face, I'll never be able to forget it. I knelt beside him and stroked his face while the vet was called, trying to keep him from falling asleep. We put him in a blanket and carried him into the house, laying him beside the radiator. Since the vet said he'd probably suffered a fit, we decided to wait and see if he recovered. He just lay there for the rest of that day, barely even raising his head when one of us talked to him. By the early hours of the following morning, he was sitting up on his front legs and panting. I thought he was getting better but since his back legs still weren't moving, he went back into the blanket and we took him to the vet. Turned out, it wasn't a fit at all. It was a stroke, at least his fifth that month. I must admit, I'd no idea. I guess I should've realised something was wrong, he'd begun sleeping on the ground for long periods rather than looking in through the window as usual. And one of the last times I took him out for a walk, he fell off the kerb while we were crossing a road. Though the vet said it was kindest to end his suffering, it was the hardest thing we've ever had to do. The back-garden sure feels empty now._

_Poor Freedom Fighters. Since they haven't gotten through it during an entire year, this has got to be the longest night of their bloody lives. Anyway, I'll get to work on the next so soon as possible. That way, I'll have myself a head-start for the year 2010._

_Everyone, I hope this was well received and that a cool yule awaits you all. May the day find you well._


	25. In The Grip Of Evil

_Author Notes - to quote Solid Snake, "kept you waiting, huh?"_

_Sorry about the delay between this chapter and the last, Freedom Fighters. It's just that I recently took a look over everything I've written so far and here's the thing, I'm forced to notice that the prose has been really weird. Just all over the place. Quite frankly, I think it's a mess so I'm going to be __going over the chapters in question and tidying them up (starting with Chapter Fourteen)._

_And since this would get in the way of the writing of the new chapters, I've decided to hand writing responsibility over to Asher Tye. You may know him from such excellent stories as Relative and Tails Underground. It's a simple arrangement really, I just write him a summary of what's supposed to happen in the coming chapters (since I know pretty much everything that's going to happen in the story) and he it before sending it to me. Anyway, I'm thrilled with the job he's done on this chapter and can't wait to see what he manages to do with the next._

_Well, that's enough talk from me (especially after the long wait you've all had to endure). Asher Tye and myself hope that you all enjoy the latest chapter of Mutant Body, Mobian Heart!_

**Chapter 25**

**In The Grip Of Evil; Doom Is At Hand**

In the bowels of Command Central, in the holding pens of Robotropolis, silence reigned supreme. One can only guess at the number of souls who had spent their last hours in this squalid pit; crying, moaning, or otherwise expressing the sheer hopelessness of their predicament. This was where Dr. Robotnik had sent his captives before having them roboticized into his mindless servants and, even with the evil tyrant's deposing, the cells had lost none of their horrible gloom, even as the former cacophony had died away. And it was in one of these cells that Snively Kintobor, the former assistant to the Lord of Robotropolis, and former Lord of Robotropolis in his own right, now sat cooling his heels.

He did not cry. He did not grovel. He did not beg, plead, or implore. Snively had been a sniveler for far longer than he cared to remember and could easily consider himself to be an old pro at it. And as such he did fully consider himself an expert on such a tactic and thus knowledgeable of its primary flaw. Such acts of ubiquitous subservience only served a purpose when directed at one whose heart and resolve could be bent by such things as compassion, or whose ego could be stroked by making them feel totally in control. When a practitioner was left to his own devices, pleas and such served merely to waste breath. And so it was that Snively, now alone ever since his furry cellmate's departure in the company of another, had turned his energies towards a more productive, if slower, task.

A frustrated grunt escaped the diminutive human's lips, followed by the sound of pen scratching furiously on paper. Penmanship had never been a strong suit of the little man's, he would have much preferred a keyboard for his writing needs, but this was not to be. Though the haughty and aloof Zero had proven himself not above accepting bribes for favors, the mysterious human was not so gullible as to allow access to a computer. Thus it was that Snively had to make do with the pen and paper purloined from his old work-room and the use of the hard cot provided for sleep as a surface on which to write.

_'Of course one still might wonder why it is this task on which I wish to spend my last hours rather than another,'_ Snively thought to himself, his mind straining to find the words he wished to inscribe upon the paper. _'Even if I succeed in finishing this project, it's not as though I can just pop it in the local mailbox and send it off to its intended recipient.'_ Another frustrated grunt came from the nearly bald man, but still he persisted. Words continued to form in his mind, even as he questioned his motives for doing this. Why torment himself in his last hours with a task he was ill-equipped to perform and could not say for sure would be successful? Was some fraction of his subconscious mind operating under the supposed idea that this deed would somehow absolve him of his sins, erase a life of evil deeds done unto the innocent?

Even as he pondered this, considering tossing the fruits of his bribe to Zero onto the ground and concentrating on some real work, he stopped himself. Snively knew the reason for his current course of action. From the bottom of his cowardly heart he knew.

Her.

How ironic. For the past ten years, barely a thought had been spent on she whose life had so briefly intertwined with his and now what may very well be his last act in this life was all because of her. Silently the former tyrant remembered a lady possessed of an inner fire, a fire of courage that burned with such passion as to shine through her eyes, blue as a midsummer's night sky. He remembered a face that had lost none of its beauty or gentleness despite the long captivity or the sparse rations she'd had to endure. She had been a source of kindness and comfort to all those around her, despite how easy, and, yes, how understandable, it would have been to sink into her own despair..

Far grander than any one, or even all, of the simpering Duchesses of the royal court, much more awe-inspiring than the mightiest of Overlords, and infinitely wiser than the most learned of Sages. The vixen had been a rarity in this hellish world, a being gifted not merely with nobility granted by a piece of parchment and a title, but with true nobility from within.

_'She did not deserve death, and Death did not deserve her,'_ Snively thought darkly. _'If ever I were to disbelieve that fortune favored the wicked, that only the good did indeed die young, her fate will ever remain my proof. And that is why I must do this now, before it is too late. That is why I have not forgotten her, why I cannot, and why I never will even should another decade of time pass. Because I… feel…'_ Pen fell to pad of paper as a sudden weariness overtook the small man, weariness perhaps greater than any felt by any other man.

It was then that a noise came to Snively's keen ears, a rhythmic beating that could only be the sound of footsteps approaching. If Zero's news was to be believed, and Snively really couldn't think of any reason for the muscular warrior to lie here, it was unlikely this was Tails being returned to their shared lodgings. That meant whoever was coming was more than likely doing so to interrogate him. A cringe of fear crawled up his spine at the prospect of pain, a sensation that he, though used to, quite frankly could have lived without.

And yet as he continued to listen, Snively's spine ceased its cringing and his teeth ceased to clench. He had thought, he had feared, that Naugus had been coming to flay his flesh from his bones with a snap of that twisted hateful finger, or that 'dearest' Uncle Julian, seeking to relieve the stress he no doubt felt in serving the sorcerer, would try to accomplish the same feat manually. But these footsteps were too light, their tread too quick to belong to anyone who currently resided in this forsaken city; save for only one

Quickly Snively's eyes flew back to pen and paper, his every muscle dedicated to giving the impression that it comprised the totality of his universe, even as it no longer held his mind's attention. Quietly he waited for his visitor to say something, feeling very much like a castaway adrift at sea who was fully aware of the presence of a shark beneath his boat.

"What do you want?" Snively finally asked, unable to stand the interminable silence any longer. The sound of a sigh escaping heralded the fox's response.

"I don't know what I'm doing here," Tails finally answered as he sat with his back pressed against the cell door, the tips of his twin namesakes flicking up and down as they were pinned between floor and cell wall. Snively made a quick sniff with his nose.

"Neither do I." he stated with as much indifference as he could muster, an unusual activity as indifference was usually the one thing he could show in abundance. It was then that the cub said something that caused Snively's little black heart to skip a full beat.

"Forty-two." Over the course of his life, Snively had heard many words spoken to him that had caused him to react in all manner of different ways, but never had the utterance of a single number caused him to flinch so. Had not his mind been occupied by the very same vixen to whom those wretched digits had been attached? And here now was another on whose mind the long dead lady had been. Not even turning to see what reaction his words had caused, Tails merely chose to add to his statement. "The only thing I know about my mother is the number that was on her bracelet. That's it." The words were whispered, but even then Snively couldn't help but hear the tinge of bitter sorrow in the cub's voice. Quietly the little man steeled himself for the inevitable storm of hateful accusations that would be leveled at him.

'_The cub no doubt believes he can pry some sort of tearful apology from me by playing on sympathy and guilt. "Boo-hoo, little cub never got to know his mommy, all because of the 'big' bad human who harmed her so." If that is the case, he can cry me a river, and then he can just build me a bridge and get over it,'_ Snively thought. And yet much as he was prepared to turn these wretched thoughts into scathing words, no accusations came from the fox-boy's lips. Again silence fell between the two former comrades and again it began to grate on Snively's nerves.

"So tell me, little boy, why is it that, given such free reign of the city, you haven't taken this opportunity to get the hell out of Dodge?" How many weeks, days, even hours ago had it been that Snively's ancient turn of phrase would have given Tails a moment of pause, followed quickly by an inquiry as to just what "Dodge" was? And yet, as he remained seated just outside the cell, the fox seemed not the least curious.

"I have nowhere to go," the cub finally admitted, before adding darkly, "And you can ditch the attitude, Big Nose, I'm not stupid enough to expect anything like sympathy from the likes of you." At his companion's retort, a slight chuckle escaped the human's lips.

"Yes, yes, you've most definitely succeeded in figuring me completely out," congratulated Snively, his voice thick with nasally sarcasm. "Of course I might point out to you that, though you may indeed believe you have nowhere to go, there is most certainly nothing binding you to this city."

"That's not true," Tails quickly responded, surprising the former overlord who had expected another long delay. "Naugus thinks I'm this 'kitty-fox' or whatever he calls it." Again derisive laughter escaped thin lips.

"You are no more a Kitsune Fox than I am."

"Naugus doesn't know that." For the second time in their conversation, the cub's words managed to give the human pause. With backs turned to each other, it was impossible for Tails to see the thin smile play its way across Snively's face.

"Ah, so the plot doth reveal," the vertically challenged man surmised. "I believe I understand now. You're planning on manipulating our sorcerous host to your benefit. How very precious, how very cute." Snively's head nodded just a bit, the most movement he could make while still pretending the bulk of his attention was still on his writing. "Of course such a plan is quite honestly doomed to failure. You see, even with the favor you are currently currying with Naugus, at some point he is going to expect you to use your supposed 'mystical' abilities to his benefit. And while one or two failures might be graciously attributed to such things as youth and inexperience, eventually your natural inability to do something like gaze into the future for him will likely reverse your fortunes. I daresay it won't be too long before Naugus begins to suspect that his 'prized Kitsune' is nothing more than a mutant fox with an extra appendage." Again the human laughed. "Even that short-sighted hedgehog would have planned this out better." Satisfied that he had quashed whatever resolve was within the kit to see this inane plan through, Snively's attention once more began to transfer back to his pages, his ears only waiting now to hear the tell-tale footsteps of the fox's retreat. But young Tails, not yet finished with their conversation, had not even risen from the ground.

"I could use my 'gifts' to let Naugus know about the tactics the Freedom Fighters would use when they raid Robotropolis. If I did that, helped to keep them from wrecking the city, Naugus wouldn't be so quick to doubt my advice. And it's not as though the Freedom Fighters would be in any danger. Naugus did say he wanted to work with them rather than against them." At the fox's statement, Snively couldn't help but feel his blood run cold as an uncomfortable lump formed in the pit of his stomach. His mind struggled to make sense of what he'd heard, utterly convinced that his ears could only have misheard what had been said. But the former assistant to Dr, Robotnik had not survived this long without being able to master himself, and so it was that the next words he spoke were done so in a calm, collected voice.

"Let me see if I've got this straight. Are you actually planning on betraying the Freedom Fighters?"

"If I can get Naugus to trust me, gain his respect, maybe I can influence his decisions and change things from within. Make everything on Mobius okay again. After all, if the 'magical Kitsune' were to 'foresee' that stopping the war and freeing everybody was the wisest course of action possible, Naugus would probably jump to follow my advice."

Snively was silent, pen gripped tightly in his fist. In his mind's eye, he could see the mother fox who'd made such a gallant sacrifice to ensure her own son's life got the chance to begin. And as he thought about what the son planned to do with that gift so precious, Snively finally abandoned his façade and turned to face the cub, fury on his face.

"If you go through with such a plan, you'll have truly earned the title bastard," he condemned through clenched teeth. In truth the little man was quite surprised at the outrage he felt and at the venom in his voice. But all he could think of now was one overriding desire; that Tails not be allowed to travel this path of treachery.

If Tails took note of the desperation Snively now felt, he was unmoved.

"That's funny coming from the bastard who was only just yesterday trying to get me to stab my friends in the back." Again Snively marshaled his calm, even as he glared at the back of the cub in angry frustration.

"Tails, you have to listen to me," the human explained, struggling to keep his emotions from leaking into his voice, "Naugus is nothing but an old liar. Whatever 'code of honor' or 'vision for the future' he has convinced you he possesses is twisted, self-serving, and evil. Ixis Naugus seeks to aid and care for one Mobian and one Mobian only; Ixis Naugus."

"And you'd be the big expert on self-serving evil, being an old liar yourself," retorted Tails, a stinging retort that, while nothing new, did succeed in this instance to cut the man to the quick. Still he knew he couldn't afford to quit now, he couldn't afford to give up.

"Wasn't it naught but two weeks ago that you and your friends were playing dodge-ball with lightning bolts thanks to Naugus's spells?" he asked.

"And how does that differ from what we were doing with you only two months ago? Then weren't you the one trying to take over the world? Betraying everyone who ever trusted you? Killing anyone who opposed you?" Snively bit his lower lip, unable to refute such a claim. But Tails was not done yet. "And weren't you quite willing to work with Naugus when it meant you'd get what you wanted out of the deal?" At this point a hint of vicious amusement entered the kit's high-pitched voice. "In fact, it seems to me that the only reason you're telling me NOT to do the exact same thing is because you won't get what you want from it." A derisive laugh came from Tails as his head tilted downward a bit. "Bet if you were, you'd be all for this idea. Heck you'd probably be trying to coach me on how to manipulate him better."

Snively's eyes were cast down to the floor for a moment. There was no denying the truth in some of Tails's statement, but the human didn't have time to try to refute the accusations. His mind struggled as he worked to come up with a new strategy, a new argument to convince the cub of his sincerity and away from his present course of action. Unfortunately, Tails took Snively's silence for a sign of defeat.

"Don't pretend you care one wit for Knothole, its people, or even Mobius. I know there's nothing you do or say that isn't meant to help you and you alone," he said. There was an edge of iron to his voice when he continued. "And just so you know, the guy who helped to destroy an entire kingdom and wrecked the lives of its citizens for reasons that were a hundred percent selfish and then 'reformed' when he had no other options to take has no right to call me a bastard for turning on my friends so I can save them from getting wiped out."

"If you value my opinion so little, why bother coming here to tell me this?" Snively asked, unsure of what else he could say to convince the kit.

"Because I needed you to help convince me my idea was a good one. And you did. After all, if a selfish monster like you thinks my plan is bad, than it's gotta be good, right." This last part was not asked, but spoken as a statement of fact. Quickly Tails rose to his feet, not even giving Snively the benefit of a glance. "Thanks for all your help Snively, I hope you have a nice life." With this final pronouncement, Tails walked forward, his bare feet making only the slightest clicking sound as his claws tapped against the hard concrete of the floor. Realizing that his last chance was slipping through his fingers, Snively too was on his feet, the pad of paper and pen falling to the floor in the face of this much more pressing problem. Like lightning the little man was at the bars of his cell, grabbing hold as he tried to attract the retreating fox's attention again.

"You can't do it!" he screamed, a spray of spittle escaping his lips as he did so. "You can't just throw everything away! You can't just give in! Remember Bunnie, remember Antoine and Rotor, remember Sonic! Think of Sally and your mother! It isn't too late for you yet like it is for me!"

* * *

As he exited the dark and dreary cell block, all thoughts of Snively began to fade from Tails's mind, vanishing with the speed of a freak snowfall on a hot spring day. Of course the fox would have had to be deaf not to know the 'reformed' villain had started screaming something as he'd made his departure, but Tails had simply chosen to disregard it. The human had served his purpose, and now vulpine thoughts were on other matters of more import, namely finding the location of Naugus.

It stood to reason that at this hour of the night the old sorcerer was unlikely to have left his stronghold Command Central, or at least that's what foxy logic said. So it was that Tails found himself wandering about the building. More than once he passed a SWATbot or two in the halls. At first he cringed a bit, old fears rising as he considered the robots might decide he was an intruder and make to hurt him. But each time the SWATbots allowed him to pass unmolested, in some instances where the hallway was too thin even stepping aside so as not to impede his progress. While it did nothing to diminish the ominous and forbidding atmosphere of Command Central, it did somewhat embolden the cub's stride as he continued his search. All too soon, though, he found himself in familiar surroundings.

The Dining Room.

Only hours ago the room had born witness to a focal point, an event of monumental import as something as so innocuous and trivial as an errant chicken bone very nearly forever altered the course of Mobian history. Indeed that small bone might have succeeded, if not for Tails's own actions.

The long table Naugus had sat at was still there but, just as Zero had told him earlier, it was no longer adorned with the fine plates, silverware, and beautiful tablecloth the sorcerer had used for his bizarre dinner party. Those now rested, in many cases in pieces, upon the floor, sent there as a meaty hand in pain had blindly grabbed hold of the tablecloth and, in electrified agony, had pulled. And Dr. Robotnik, the owner of that meaty hand as well as its mechanical mate, was there still as well, stooped over on both as well as his stubby knees. The former Overlord's face hovered mere inches from the ground and Tails's sharp eyes could just make out the wiggling red extension that was his tongue as he tried desperately to pick up some of the broken crockery with it. A grunt happiness was heard as the human succeeded in his task, gripping the sharp dish piece and dropping it into a nearby waste receptacle. In the face of such a success, Robotnik finally looked up and noticed his audience.

Tails fought the urge to recoil at the sight. Robotnik's mouth was practically ringed with blood thanks to the many cuts his gums and lips had endured from the sharp edges of the broken tableware. It had even managed to soak into the man's moustache, darkening its frayed and unkempt whiskers around his nose. The fallen tyrant quickly recognized his "guest" and suddenly a wild grin appeared on his face. Like some kind of mad dog Dr. Robotnik scrambled forward on all fours, his state of mind insufficient to even notice as his unprotected knees slammed down on broken bits of plate, driving the points into his flesh as he crawled.

"You. You, you, you, you, you," Dr. Robotnik chanted in a hushed voice as he scurried up to the fox. Tails backed up half a pace, if only to prevent the disgusting human from being able to touch him. Those dark eyes that had once held such malice and cruelty now looked wild and unpredictable. "You're the answer," the abused doctor finally said, a horribly happy look on his face that almost made Tails want to retch.

"The answer?" the would-be kitsune asked, wondering briefly when life had decided to make him so interesting to everyone else.

"Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes," came the response again. "You can do it; you can set this all right again." Mad eyes glanced from side to side, a caricature of precaution. 'He… he doesn't trust me, never trusts me, so I can't get close enough. But you. He likes you, trusts you. He'd never expect it from you. You could do it for me." A sharp, childish giggle escaped the human's lips. "You can… kill Naugus." A second giggle came. "And then, and then, once I have control of the city again, once I'm the master, I'll set you free. Free to go back to your little woods and your little friends. You can see your mommy and your daddy again. And I promise I won't stop you. You see? We can both get what we want."

How long ago had it been that Tails had been absolutely terrified of Robotnik? How many scary stories had kept him up at night that featured the demonic dictator as their monster? And here he was now, and all Tails could feel was a sense of disgust and revulsion. This was not the monster he'd been led to believe in, this was not the villain who had haunted his dreams. This was a pathetic bully who'd picked the wrong fight one too many times, refuse on the ground of history. And he was simply not worth the fox's time.

Turning away from the dictator-turned-janitor, though not before Robotnik offered up what could only be described as a sad attempt at a conspiratorial wink, Tails continued on his quest for Naugus's current location, exiting the dining room via the door opposite his entry. Upon exiting that temporary madhouse, the kit found himself crossing paths with yet another familiar face, none other than Lieutenant Omega. The cold red eye that dominated the SWATbot's face stared down at him, its lights flashing as optical sensors relayed information to the machine's CPU, confirming the fox's identity. Having just divested himself of his long held fear of the machine's own creator, Tails was not about to back pedal in front of a mere creation.

"Where is Naugus?" the cub asked, his voice even and flat, fully expecting an answer from the automaton.

**"Lord Naugus is in his chamber,"** Omega responded. **"I have been ordered to collect and escort you to him. Follow me."** Only a few hours ago, Tails might have simply obeyed that order from the bigger and more dangerous SWATbot. Heck, maybe even a few minutes ago. But at this moment, at this point in time, Tails was not about to be impressed by what was basically an ambulatory toaster oven. He glared at Omega, defiantly daring the lieutenant to back up his own authority.

For his part, Omega felt a wave of what might have been described as fury in his metallic mainframe. It had been more than ten years since any Mobian, with only a few real exceptions, had done anything other than cower before even the standard SWATbots, let alone one that was in a command position. That this immature little brat thought himself Omega's equal was enough to start up the termination subroutines in the robot's programming.

But then some new data entered the SWATbot's logic center. Naugus had gone to great trouble to acquire this cub and, aside from a brief stay in the cell block, had been treating him with a great deal of preferential treatment. Add to that the fact that the fox had only a few hours ago saved the sorcerer's life and the question arose as to just who would be deemed as being unduly defiant in this situation. Robotnik had raised a hand against Tails and Omega had only to look into the next room to see the results of that little action. That the ovoid human was at least entertaining to Naugus was perhaps the only reason he'd been spared the ultimate penalty. Omega could boast no such protection.

**(Were this kit to tell Naugus I had irritated him, would the sorcerer decide I am no longer worthy of his tolerance and destroy me? He is unpredictable, and quite obviously the fox is important.)** Self-preservation software kicked in and the SWATbot stood at attention, the near universal sign amongst his kind of subservience.

**"Apologies, Mobian, I will escort you to Naugus at your leisure,"** Omega responded as Tails walked by, his hands behind his back and his chest puffed out as he kicked out his legs with each step. Before Omega could take a step to follow, the fox halted his progress.

"By the way, you will call me Tails," he said, his voice still even and cold. Immediately a new subroutine was created in the robot's programming, permanently labeling the cub 'Tails' from then on. The two walked on in a silence that was only broken by Omega occasionally pointing out when they had to turn. Soon they arrived at a staircase, the sight of which caused Omega to step forward and take a position at the base, his body rigid as he stood at attention.

Tails looked up the stairs, obviously the final path to the one he sought. A short wave of unease passed over the vulpine's spine as he made his ascent. This was the big test, the big hurdle for his plan to work. Swallowing, Tails steeled his resolve as he made it to the top where sat a giant pair of double doors that had apparently been sealed by an equally huge slab of crystal.

"Ah… I've been expecting you, my young friend," Naugus's voice suddenly said, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere. It was just a bit unnerving, Tails had to admit. Before the fox's eyes the crystal barrier began to get thinner and thinner, quickly releasing the huge doors from its grip. Once freed thusly, the doors swung open, seemingly of their own accord, granting Tails his entry.

Inside he found, just as Omega had said, a bed chamber, complete with a massive four-poster bed that could easily have consumed twice the space of his own bed back in Knothole. A velvety cloth was draped over the posts, the edges tied by a cord of what the fox assumed could only be nylon. On the walls hung several paintings of people Tails had seen in some of the books he owned, though these were caked in dust and dark from neglect. Lamps jutted from the walls, though only a few managed to shed some illumination. Like the room he had previously awoken in, Tails could tell this chamber had once belonged to someone important. It took little cognitive ability to deduce that this room had once belonged to King Acorn himself. Undoubtedly Dr. Robotnik had claimed this place as his own while he had been in charge of the city, but now that he had been relegated to 'janitorial' duties, ownership had fallen to Naugus.

The magic-user in question stood in the back of the room, half in and out of the shadows. Still there was enough light to illuminate his face, and that face wore a pleased smile as he gazed at his guest. This was not the smile he'd worn two weeks ago as he'd spoken to Sally, nor the smile he'd had earlier when he'd been hosting his party. This smile was gentler, if that term could be applied to someone with such an angular face. It looked strangely pleasant.

"And here now is the worthy young fellow who only this night did save the life of this old gowk," the sorcerer announced, though to whom Tails had trouble determining. Next came a short, stooped bow with clawed arm crossed over chest. The smile never left his face as Naugus straightened up again. "Indeed, if not for your noble actions earlier, my honest lad, I more likely than not would have ended up just as the proverbial fish out of water. That is to say, dead, with mouth wide open and eyes bulged out." The sorcerer made a hissing giggle, as if he found the notion of his own demise to be a source of some amusement. Then his voice became serious. "And thus we come to my reason for wishing to speak with you now."

Tails was surprised at how quick the new Lord of Mobotropolis could move, particularly at his age. In only a few seconds he suddenly stood in front of the fox, looking down with a solemn face as he gazed into azure eyes.

"I appear to be in your debt, my young friend, and Ixis Naugus always repays his debts, be they for ill… or for good. Since you saved my life, I can do no less than grant you your freedom." Naugus's hand, the one that held fingers, reached out to grip Tails's shoulder. "Master Kitsune, I do quit you." And thus did the sorcerer turn from the fox, walking briskly over to the large, ornate writing desk that also stood in the room. As he did so, the elderly creature continued to speak. "If you desire, I shall have Sir Zero himself personally escort you to the edges of my domain in safety, but in any event you are quite free to go and do as you wish without impediment from any of my forces." And thus, his speech at an end, Naugus sat in the chair, his attention soon taken up by whatever sat on the desk before him.

For his part Tails simply stood there, even though he had apparently been dismissed. He had not expected this. In truth he hadn't really known what to expect but, if pressed, he had to say just being told he could go was at the bottom of his list.

'_This is the "horrible menace" Sonic and Sally keep yelling about? "A monster worse than Robotnik?"'_ Tails thought, disbelief running through his mind as he watched the sorcerer at his desk. _'True he attacked us but… we were kinda taking something that belonged to him without asking.'_ In fact, hadn't the Mobian mage told Sally he'd have gladly given them the roboticizer if she'd simply asked him for it? At the thought of the ground squirrel, Tails's thoughts darkened as he remembered the caning he'd received at the Princess's hands. '_Naugus trusted me not to just run off, to actually stay and listen to him. Sally would've just locked me up without a second thought in the same position. And yet she claims HE'S the bad guy. Naugus is even willing to let me go free, something my "Aunt" never intended to do.'_

Tails cast a glance back towards the doors, still open and lacking any barriers that could prevent him from leaving. There had not been a single sound to indicate the arrival of more SWATbots other than Omega, and Tails was fairly sure he was nimble enough to evade that one if he had to. He could be in Knothole in time for breakfast if he so chose.

'_But why do I want to?'_ the cub asked himself, old feelings rising in his heart, the same unhappy feelings he'd felt prior to his failed attempt at running away. Memories of what he'd said, how angry he'd been, how angry everyone had been at him flooded his mind. Could he really go "home" if he didn't have a home to go to? And here, he may not have been amongst familiar surroundings, but there was no denying Naugus had yet to do anything nearly as objectionable as his supposed family had done. Here at least, he might be able to do some good, if Naugus still thought he could be of use in the ancient creature's plans. Here was even a chance to do more on his own than the Freedom Fighters had ever achieved as a team. '_And if Sally, if everyone thinks I'm just some helpless little kid, a baby they need to protect and control, than I don't need them.'_ At this thought a wave of sadness welled up in the boy's chest and an uneasy knot appeared in his stomach. If Sally and the rest meant nothing to him, why did the prospect of leaving them for good feel so… uncomfortable? Shaking the feeling off, Tails looked again at Naugus.

"What if… What if my wish… is to stay here?" he asked, his voice soft and uncertain. From the desk at which he sat, Naugus's head rose, the solitary horn that adorned it clearly visible over the hunch in his back. A curious eye and a receptive ear turned slowly in the fox's direction to show the sorcerer was once again imparting a portion of his attention to his guest.

"You must excuse me, my good fellow, but I'm afraid these ancient ears of mine can sometimes play tricks upon me. Did I just hear you say that you wished to remain here? With me?" Tails opened his mouth to speak, but soon found his mouth and throat quite dry. Not wishing to croak an answer, the youth merely nodded his head quickly. At this response, Naugus turned his entire body to face the young reynard, his eyes seeming to be appraising the cub as he stroked his long white beard, searching for any breaks in Tails's resolve. Slowly but surely the same pleasantly pleased smile that had been on the sorcerer's face before reappeared. "Come over here, young man. I have something to show you that you may find interesting." After a single moment's hesitation, Tails began to move. He was acutely aware of the coldness of the floor beneath his bare feet, but there was also a certain sense of excitement.

'_He has something he wants to show me?'_ the cub thought, his curious nature getting the better of him. All sorts of possibilities danced through his mind, but one in particular stood out against all others. For weeks now, months even, ever since Naugus had cemented his control of Robotropolis in fact, the Freedom Fighters had been straining their collective brains trying to figure out what the sorcerer was up to. With all the activity, it had been quite clear the resources of the dark city were being moved towards some end, but lacking anyone who could think like the mystical monarch amongst their ranks, Knothole had been unable to understand what. Now it seemed as though the mysterious master plan was about to be revealed, and Tails would be the one it would be revealed to. Ancient body moved aside a bit, allowing room for the youth to move in closer and see…

…an electric fan.

Tails could only stare at the machine, more than a bit perplexed as to what he was supposed to be looking at, and wondering silently if his host might not be all together sane. Blue eyes moved from the fan to Naugus and the sorcerer seemed to pick up on the cub's lack of comprehension.

"Of all the things I have found in this city upon my arrival, I must admit that this marvelous little device is perhaps my favorite," he began to explain. "To defeat your enemies with a mere gesture is all well and good, and no one can deny having an unending supply of tireless helpers has its benefits to be sure, but nothing can quite compare with receiving a refreshing wind with but the flick of a simple switch. And it even comes with six levels so its master can determine the strength of the wind it produces. Anything from a gentle breeze to a powerful gale." The clawed hand reached out and easily took hold of the fan's "on" switch, toggling it with an audible click. The machine came to life, its motor rising in intensity twice after as the blades spun faster and faster. "I must admit I am partial to the third setting. It is quite conducive to relaxing after a particularly trying day." Naugus's eyes closed as he leaned into the fan, the winds generated blowing the whiskers about his face in a wild fashion, though the bulk of his beard remained inert. Finally Tails could hold it in no longer.

"That's it? The big secret is just a fan?" he blurted before clasping his hands over his mouth. While he had yet to come to any real harm, at least by the sorcerer's hand, the fox was not prepared to tempt fate. Who knew what kind of slight might set Naugus off and foul the good mood he'd been in?

All that came was a laugh as Naugus favored the cub with a patient look.

"Yes, imagine it. I, Ixis Naugus, the Supreme Sorcerer of all of Mobius, have a weakness for the very technology I so openly despise and decry as an affront to the natural order. Were this information to reach less trustworthy ears than yours, scant hours would pass before it became fodder for an interminable number of jokes and snide comments " Again fingers reached out to grip the fox, though this time they held that furry shoulder in a more comradely fashion than before. The ancient Mobian spoke his next words in a clear and even tone that might have been reserved for a master speaking to a particularly bright student who needed only a bit more help to grasp the lesson. "The point I am trying to make, my young friend, is that I am not a perfect person. I have failings, just as any other being and, though I am loathe to admit them, I do not deny them. But that is all right. Though I am imperfect, I can still strive for perfection. Not merely for me but for everyone. A perfect life given to all who dwell on fair Mobius. And with your assistance, I believe I can make that happen." At this point, Naugus leaned in closer to Tails, his face drawing level so that the fox could quite clearly see his dark yellow eyes. The cub made no move to back away. "And isn't that something YOU would want too? A world without sadness, without pain? A world where none will every again suffer as you surely have? A perfect place where all whom you love will be made safe and happy? If that is what you wish, little one, if that is what your heart desires, you have only to say so and WE will make it happen."

As Tails stared into the magician's eyes, his brain began to mull over what had been said. There was no denying Naugus's words held a ring of truth to them.

'_Bunnie's been such a big help to the Freedom Fighters, to all of Knothole, and still the villagers treat her like garbage just because she's half robot. They depend on her help almost every day, but they act like she's the enemy. And she's so nice to everyone in return, she just takes it and doesn't complain so she can help everyone, it's not fair. And then there's my mom and me. I never even got to know her, and if Sally had had her way, I'd have never even known she was dead. How many other people keep suffering, and I could help prevent it. All it would take would be a few accurate "predictions" to prove to Naugus I'm a real Kit-sune or whatever, and he'd believe anything I'd say. We'd be able to make his perfect world peacefully, with no one struggling to stop us._

'_What am I saying? If I do this, if I join forces with Naugus, I'll be betraying the Freedom Fighters, betraying the very people who took me in when I had nothing, cared for me when I was sick, taught me everything I know. Can I really just turn on them like this? Even if this does make the world a better place, I'll be hurting them; there's no way around that. I'm just one little fox, what right do I have to make a decision for an entire planet full of people? Who am I to take that kind of control over so many other lives?_

'_Sally?'_

As this thought crossed Tails's mind, his legs began to feel wobbly and his hand rose to his head. It felt as though a weight had suddenly come down upon the cub's shoulders, and he did not like it one bit. On the one hand, he could help Naugus and thus minimize the damage the sorcerer could do if people didn't even want to give him a chance to help them. Tails could remove the necessity of destroying trees to save the forest. But that didn't disguise the fact that it was treachery he was considering, treachery most foul. It was something the fox knew to be wrong, and he had no illusions as to how much everyone would hate him if he made such a decision. Unbidden the image of Snively came to Tails's young mind.

'_Is this what he thought before he made his decision, betrayed King Acorn, toppled the kingdom, and started all of this? I only have to look at the last ten years to see how that turned out. The domination by Robotnik, Mobius's destruction bit by bit, day by day, Bunnie getting turned into a cyborg… my Mom dying._

'_Or is this just Sally and Sonic talking through me, making me second guess myself? The only one Naugus has really mistreated is Robotnik, and nobody would feel sorry for him. Am I just letting the fact that Sonic and Sally don't trust Naugus get to me, instead giving him the benefit of the doubt?'_ A throbbing pain appeared in the cub's head as he felt like he was being torn in two directions at once. Did he betray his friends in the hope of saving them, or did he remain loyal to those who had not been loyal to him and chance more suffering for the world around him? Sharp canines bit into a lower lip as Tails bowed his head, struggling with the decision.

"I… I don't know," he muttered quietly. "I just don't know." Upon hearing this, Naugus's face became a one of perfect understanding, his sharp eyes softening as the corners of his mouth turned down just the slightest bit.

"Of course, of course, such is to be expected," he explained. "This is not a decision to be made lightly, like what you wish for dinner or which tome you wish to peruse for the night. This is important, life-changing. And after all that has happened to you today, I'm sure you are tired. You've been through a lot and I have just given you even more to think about. Rest for the night, allow your mind to be cleansed by worriless sleep, and then see if you cannot reach a satisfactory decision." Naugus stepped back from the fox and, thinking he had once again been dismissed, Tails turned to head back to the room he'd been given.

The kit took no more than a few steps before a wave of weariness swept over his form, his muscles aching and feeling weak. He began to sway as his legs began to falter against gravity's embrace, and his vision blurred just a bit. Orange-furred paw rose to his head as Tails struggled not to fall flat on his face.

"Tut-tut," came the voice of Naugus, cutting through the haze of the fox's mind, as if an eerie echo at the end of a long tunnel. "It would appear that Master Kitsune is more fatigued than I had thought." An extra set of arms suddenly gripped the vulpine's body, lending him strength to remain standing. Quickly Tails found himself being turned and moved forward, his destination a blurry shape he recognized as the large bed he'd seen when he'd entered the chamber. Soon he found himself laying flat on that comfortable mattress, his body possessed of only barely enough strength to keep breathing. And suddenly, a primal fear gripped the cub's heart/

Next to him Naugus stood. The spell of slumber had done its work; not surprising considering the fox had been near exhaustion for most of the night. Now though, the task was done and a grin of feverish excitement spread over the sorcerer's face as he removed the glove from his hand. The elder Mobian stood over the prone and helpless fox-cub. The unconscious Tails could feel his host's hot breath on his face as that groping hand reached out for his unprotected body…

* * *

Through the darkened city of Robotropolis, the Awakened One walked, his feet striding purposefully across the cracked and ill-maintained cement making up the streets. Soon he arrived at a street that lead to the open space in which sits the fearsome visage of Command Central, looming over the rest of the city. It stood like an open, festering wound; the very source of the poison that had spread across the land, contaminating and corrupting all that was once good and beautiful. It was there, beyond the ruined pedestal upon which the now crumbled statue of Doctor Robotnik had once leered at all intruders, through the dark doorway that sat at the top of the steps like the portal to some forgotten abyss, that the task for which he had been awakened from his millennia long slumber awaited.

Before the robed one could take even a single step further, a sound rose to his ears, a sound that was getting louder and louder and coming from behind him. Hooded head looking over his shoulder, the Awakened One could clearly see a cloud of dust rising in the distance. Immediately the creature realized that that amount of dust could only be kicked up by something moving at an incredibly high velocity.

Correction; something moving at an incredibly high velocity and right in his direction.

Not wishing to be seen by whatever could move at such a speed, the Awakened One leapt straight into the air for several feet. A powerful fist slammed into the brickwork of a nearby building, breaking through the masonry with absurd ease as the arm was inserted all the way up to the shoulder. Despite the attack on its structural integrity, the wall of the building held, the one who had struck it now hanging from the hole like some odd ornament. Now safely out of sight, the strange creature began to watch the unidentified moving object with great interest.

A blue streak sped by below, not even slowing down as it made a quick left turn and shot straight up the side of the building on the opposite side of the street. Not even noticing the cowled observer, it streaked right over the roof's edge and vanished from view.

His curiosity satisfied the Awakened One pulled his arm free and dropped back to the street below, the wind created by the movement of the blue blur blowing the hood from the creature's head. Not even caring as the discarded garment fluttered away, he prepared to complete the task for which he came.

That was when a new sound came to his notice, the unmistakable sound of wings, very big wings, beating against the air. Eyes were cast skywards at this curious noise in a city of motionless flight just in time to catch sight of a large creature whose body was covered in emerald scales, save for its belly.

_'No doubt about it,'_ the Awakened One thought as the creature passed him by unnoticed, _'things are about to get very complicated indeed.'_

Sonic Hedgehog

Princess Sally Acorn

Rotor Walrus

Antoine Depardiue

Bunnie Rabbot

Ari Ram

Dulcy Dragon

Snively Kintobor

Miles "Tails" Prower

The Awakened One

The hand of Fate had gathered these persons of note within the walls of the dark city of Robotropolis.

And from this bastion of evil one would never again leave.

**End Of Chapter**


	26. The Crystal Dagger

_Author Notes - It's finally here, the latest chapter! Courtesy of Asher Tye's excellent writing and my grand-plan, of course!_

___By the way, the reworked versions of Chapter Twenty: Symbol Shattered Years Before and Chapter Twenty-One: The Prison Without Walls are both up. Be sure to check those out as well and tell us whether or not you think they read better this way!_

_Did anyone check out the remade version of Clash Of The Titans? All I can say there is way to go for Hollywood! The best of both from a classic movie and modern-day film-making technology!_

_Anyway, I'll just leave you with the chapter! Enjoy!_

**Chapter 26**

**The Deadly Resolve; The Crystal Dagger**

Zero was brooding.

In the darkest pits of the vile city of Robotropolis, the Hunter-Executioner sat silently alone with his thoughts, his mood sullen and focused.

Okay, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration. Looking about his surroundings Zero could hardly call the little room he currently occupied the "darkest pits" of anything. Heck, compared to where the raven-haired human had spent the last few thousand years, this room wasn't even that small. It had probably been the office of some clerk if the desk Zero had presently pressed into service as a chair was any indicator, some royal paper-pusher whose job it had been to make all nice and understandable the former Fuzz King's proclamations. Or maybe the royal tax-assessor. Images of a gigantic weasel chuckling away as it audited some poor schmuck's revenues popped into Zero's mind, only to be banished.

Now was not the time for frivolity, for letting his mind wander on flights of fancy. More important matters weighed on the muscular human's thoughts; namely "Lord" Naugus's new little pet.

_I've met that fox before, I know it. There can't be two fuzz faces walking around with two tails, can there?_ he thought darkly. _It has to be the same one that screwed my life up, that cost me everything._ And yet as he recalled the sincere look on the cub's face when it had told him this was the first night it had ever laid eyes upon him, the Hunter-Executioner couldn't help but believe it. There had been no tells, no hints of a lie. If the mutated vulpine and human had ever met before this day then it was certainly news to the fox. How that was possible was a problem that currently vexed him.

It was the same fox, of that Zero was most assuredly sure. And yet, if the fox did not know him, how was it possible that…

Sudden realization dawned upon the brooding warrior.

_It doesn't know me because the day I first met IT was not the day IT first met ME,_ Zero realized, black eyebrows rising as he did so. It was a ludicrous sounding explanation, even to him and he had been the one to think it up. But still was it any more ludicrous than animals that walked around on two legs and talked, than a hedgehog that could move at supersonic speeds, or a… whatever Naugus was supposed to be with a claw for a hand that could use actual magic? Logic and rationality, if not quite absent from this world, had certainly seemed to go on vacation since Zero's hibernation. So why NOT include time-travel in the list of impossible things that had suddenly become possible? _Somehow, someway, that fox thingy is going to travel back to the day I first met it and then make everything go pear shaped for me._

It was at that moment a new thought entered the human's head, a thought that silenced all of the remaining doubts and nagging thoughts he had about this explanation, rendering them inconsequential. For if indeed the fox had not yet gone back in time yet, then what it had done to bring Zero's whole world crashing down around him had not yet occurred either.

The image of two massive, powerful hands crushing the cub into a fine, fox-colored, paste followed this realization.

_If I stopped him, made sure he didn't get the chance to go back in time, all of this would be undone. I'd never be disgraced in the eyes of the others; I'd never be punished for my failure._ The foxy paste began to look more and more appetizing to the Hunter-Executioner's palate. Suddenly he shook his head, mane of raven hair whipping about.

_What am I thinking here? The fox is just a cub, no more than a child. Maybe not a human child; but still a little kid. Can I really just kill a kid in cold blood, even if it stopped all this from happening?_ Zero had watched the fox. Every movement, every action, every word. It was definitely just an immature little rug-rat and even the mighty Zero had reservations about doing something as despicable as offing a brat_._

_Don't be stupid!_ he mentally chided himself. _Just because an animal reminds you of a little kid doesn't actually make it one. A best it's just a puppy with some cute tricks._ Features tightened as a frown appeared on that chiseled face. _A puppy that's going to grow into a rabid dog. A rabid dog that needs to be put down. Better to do so now, before the damage can be done, than wait for another opportunity._

_And besides, if I'm right, if I'm successful, it's not as if anyone will ever know what I did, because I won't even have had the chance to think about doing it._ Grimly the big man rose from his makeshift seat, stretching as his muscles readied for action.

"I'm taking him out," Zero declared, turning towards the door, ready to hunt down the two-tailed fox.

* * *

_Even basking in the rays of the morning sun, this place still looks terrible,_ thought Princess Sally Acorn as she made her way towards Command Central. She was all alone, save for the eternal presence of Nicole who hung from the inside of her vest. And yet even as she felt repulsed by the decaying husk of a city that was Robotropolis, she couldn't help but feel just a touch of sadness as well. Her mind, long trained to shut out all distractions and focus solely on her missions, couldn't help but drift through long buried memories of the past.

The open area she stood in now had once been a beautiful courtyard. White marble statues, polished and sculpted by the finest Mobian craftsmen, had adorned the area. Lush greenery, flowers and shrubs tended by talented gardeners, had also been present, offering their sweet smells in the spring and summer as well as their vibrant colors. Children had played upon the lawns of grass as their parents and other adults, either taking refuge upon home-brought towels or the benches provided, had simply sat and enjoyed the sights. And at the center of it all, right where the pedestal upon which the statue of Robotnik had once stood currently sat, there had been a grand fountain. It had featured a great bird, its wings spread wide and mouth held open and pointed skyward. From feathered wingtips and beaky mouth had crystal clear water jetted out, each droplet collected in a pool at the base of the fountain that glittered in the sun's warm rays, even as large, fat goldfish waddled about in happy contentment. Sally recalled there had been a tradition, from where she knew not, of tossing a Mobium coin into the fountain to make a wish. How many such coins had the young Princess and her friends tossed into those churning waters, frightening the fish as they wished for such trivial things as new toys, trips to amusement parks, or even just extra dessert?

As the squirrel reached the steps of Command Central and began her climb, she banished such beautiful memories back to the recesses of her mind. Now was not the time to lose focus by concentrating on memories of the past, a past that might as well belong to another princess of another realm.

_That sweet, carefree child is gone now; no longer free to skip her way up and down the highways of life. She has been replaced by a young adult, a flawed Mobian who now must atone for her sins, lest the child I swore an oath to protect is forced to regret his own._

Her mind now focused on the fox she has come to save, Sally quickly reached the top of the stairs, making her way into the once familiar entry hall. Having spent her youth scurrying and creeping around as though an ant on the kitchen floor of some sadistic god, it felt odd to so freely walk into the enemy's stronghold. Muscles tensing as she began to suspect a trap of some sort, Sally made her way towards the staircase that led to the formerly royal palace's upper levels.

In ancient times such instincts would no doubt have served the squirrel well had she been in the vicinity of some hungry predator. In the silent darkness at the top of the stairs, the Freedom Fighter leader had indeed been sighted by a large figure. Motionless he stood, awaiting her inevitable arrival.

_This is intolerable,_ Sally thought to herself, her not inconsiderable self control taxed to its limit. _I'd much rather tear through this place like a storm unleashed to find Tails, plans be damned. But heavens help me, after all that's passed between us, I'm almost afraid of how he'll feel about it._ With her mind occupied thusly with such thoughts of hate-filled screams, it is only natural that Sally be taken off guard by the sudden appearance of none other than Zero, who patiently waits for her at the top of the stairs.

"Well well," the Hunter-Executioner began, his deep voice sending a chill down the squirrel's spine, "what's a cute furry like you doing in a place like this?"

Having seen Snively and Robotnik as the only examples of humanity in her lifetime, the royal squirrel was somewhat taken aback by the roguishly handsome specimen before her. Sally's composure quickly returned as she realized that, in that absence of Naugus or a SWATbot army, this was most likely the creature responsible for the near torching of Knothole. Whatever feelings of awe the squirrel had felt before were quickly replaced by a sickened anger she could only barely contain.

"I am Sally Alyssa, Princess of the House of Acorn, Daughter of King Maximillian, the rightful ruler of this kingdom and castle," Sally announced in a commanding voice, her body held high and rigid and her eyes blazing with an authority that was her birthright, "and I have come to have words with Ixis Naugus."

For his part, Zero simply stared at the squirrel princess, though his mind was aflutter. He could never be sure whether or not the mangy mage was listening in on this conversation through means either magical or mundane. And it certainly wouldn't do to let the wizard learn of his "trusted" minion's newfound desire to turn his new pet into a soft rug.

"As it so happens, your 'Highness,' I was on my way to see the ol' misanthrope myself," Zero lied in a voice so jovial one might have thought him talking to an old friend rather than a potential enemy. "If you would not be insulted by the company of a mere commoner, we could go together." Even though the muscular human had made no untoward actions, Sally was not fooled. The eyes are the windows of the soul, and in Zero's dark brown eyes she could see that underneath the man's easygoing exterior was the potential for a great deal of trouble if she chose to refuse him. Quietly the Princess made her decision to follow, knowing full well that each step into Robotropolis, was a step further into danger.

* * *

In the former command room of Robotnik, now redecorated according to the tastes of its new master, Ixis Naugus sat upon a throne of clear crystal. The old wizard's attention was presently occupied by an object that rested on a sparkling plinth of the same crystal before him. The object in question was a pendant; a black gemstone attached by a setting to a piece of looped chord. Even in the dim light, the ebony surface seemed to throw off a few dark sparkles of light, though it is at the center of the gem that a seemingly self contained light shines, like a star held in the night sky.

His appreciation of the pendant came to an abrupt halt as his large ears suddenly detected the sound of approaching footsteps. Looking up, the master magician revealed a puzzled and annoyed face as the latch of the door released to admit his surprise visitors. Upon recognizing these new arrivals, a bushy eyebrow rose as he put thoughts of what had so engrossed him to the back of his mind.

Zero took a place leaning against the doorframe, thick arms crossed over muscular chest as he prepared to watch the scene unfold.

"Princess," Naugus greeted cordially, his head tilting slightly as he looked upon her. "I must say, I am surprised. After the rather abrupt exit you and your friends made the last time you were here, I feared the climate of the city was not to your liking." Despite himself Naugus couldn't help but let a derisive chuckle escape his lips, even as Sally's eyes narrowed at the thinly veiled insult.

"I have not come to trade wit with you Naugus, I have come to see my son," Sally responded, her own voice cold and to the point. At her words, the ancient Mobian's eyes widened and he reared back on his throne of crystal.

"Again you surprise me Princess. Indeed, no happy tidings of a new member of the royal family have reached my ears, though it must have been just as sudden and unexpected for you." A sly grin crossed the wizard's face. "Perhaps his Highness should have been a bit more watchful of your dalliances with young Sonic. But such ARE the perils of promiscuity. I do congratulate you on getting your figure back so blessedly fast however. Do tell me, what is your secret?"

"You know perfectly well who I'm talking about," said Sally, refusing to be baited by her foe. "Tails. I know he's here and I know you're holding him prisoner. And I promise you I will not be leaving this city without him by my side." At young Acorn's pronouncement, Naugus's face lost some of its cheerful countenance.

"Tut-tut, my dear. Would that your governess had taught you better manners. You presume much indeed, perhaps too much," replied the evil creature. "Though indeed the fox you so nobly seek to liberate is within this city, I assure you he no more considers himself a prisoner than… Sir Zero over there would. In fact, merely last night he was offered free and safe passage to where so ever his heart desired. Apparently though, his heart bade him remain here, to aid me in his own free will."

_LIAR!_ Sally's mind screamed, words that very nearly escaped the confines of her synapses and left her lips. It was only through an enormous effort of will and the knowledge that she could not afford to make Naugus angry just yet that allowed her to keep the accusation from coming to his ears. Still she was unable to prevent her lips from opening, something the wizard quickly noticed.

"Do you have something to say, Princess?"

"You'll understand if I am skeptical of your claims, given how he came to be here in the first place. I would hear this desire of Tails's for myself, from his lips to my ears," Sally explained in an even and commanding voice. Despite this, her heart beat with a fear greater than when she was moments away from being roboticized, or when Cluck was mere inches away from biting off her face. _It can't be possible, it simply can't. That Tails would rather remain here with Naugus than return home is beyond the pale of belief._

"You wish to speak to my new young friend, do you?" Naugus asked, casting a knowing look at the pendant of black crystal. "Well, that could most certainly be arranged. Your wayward cub is most definitely closer than you imagine, after a manner of speaking." After what seemed a moment's contemplation, Naugus looked back at his guest and shrugged his aged shoulders, smiling. "Why not? I shall honor your oh so royal decree my dear." The cavernous chamber echoed with the snap of the wizard's singular thumb and forefinger.

From behind the glittering throne a small familiar figure began to step into view causing Sally to release a gasp of joyous relief. Tails stood beside the throne, his paws clasped behind his back as he revealed himself to his "Aunt." No longer was the fox clad only in his own orange fur, Naugus had seen to that. Where once his feet had been bare, now they were clad in boots of dark gray, their thick soles adding a touch of height to the cub's stature. Long pants of the same dark color covered his legs, held in place by a jet black belt. Only a small tuft of pure white chest fur could be seen sticking out over the neckline of a sleeveless shirt that was a light bluish color. The shoulders of this garment were slightly broader than the fox's own slim frame, creating an overall effect of making the kit look older and more angular. What little was left to see of the cub's orange fur seemed almost dull against this dark clothing, but his clear blue eyes remained as bright as always. Thus there was no mistaking the hard, cold stare the cub favored his would-be liberator with.

Despite this marked change, Sally could not stop herself from rushing forward to throw her arms about the boy's body and hold him close to her. To the young squirrel it felt like centuries since they last saw each other, and all she could think about was confessing to how sorry she was for his treatment over the past few weeks and begging him to come home. So it was that Sally was quite shocked at the kit's reaction.

"Stay back you witch!" Tails yelled just before she could touch him, his glare intensifying as he made this condemnation.

Tails's harsh words stopped Sally's movement as effectively as a slap to the face. The statement even caused Zero to raise an eyebrow, marking the presence of the fox even as he compared this new attitude to the cub he had met only a few hours ago.

_No doubt about it,_ the Hunter-Executioner thought to himself, _things are about to get very interesting here. Like Animal Planet meets the Jerry Springer Show._

"Why have you come here?" Tails asked of the squirrel, the tone of his voice making quite clear his displeasure over this unwanted reunion. Despite her shock at the cub's previous statement, Sally was capable to regaining her composure enough to answer in a steady voice.

"I've come to take you home Tails. Back to Knothole, where our family and friends are waiting for you," the squirrel explained. The kit only seemed to sneer at this. "I know I can't apologize enough for what I put you through, but I am sorry. And I promise, if it takes me the rest of my life, I will make it up to you."

"Ha!" the fox laughed, a derisive and mocking laugh that seemed alien coming from his lips. "You expect me to believe that? More likely you've come because you can't stand the thought that I've shown you for what you are to all of Knothole. Or have you forgotten?" As he spoke, Tails brought his paws, now covered in new gray gloves that looked eerily similar to Naugus's own, forth. His eyes narrowed. 'Because I haven't." Deftly the fox removed the glove from one of his paws, the very paw that not long ago Sally had caned in her misguided attempt to keep her secret. Even under the fur she could see the deep welts left by the wooden cane, and she couldn't help but look away in shame. All this did was anger the vulpine. "Look at what you did, Princess, look! This is what you did to protect your authority, to keep your power over someone who didn't want you. And all you want to do now is drag me back to Knothole so you can prove to everyone else your authority can't be challenged."

"You can't believe that Tails, you simply can't," Sally pleaded, fighting the sickness in her heart over what she had done so she could look at the cub's face. "You can't believe it. Just look into your heart and remember. Remember everything we've been through and you'll see the truth.

"Remember who it was who watched you take your first steps under the Great Beech, who was there to catch you when you fell. Remember who sat at your bedside and held your paw when you were sick, and who comforted you when you had nightmares." Tails's head bowed a bit, his bangs hiding his eyes. A small smile came to Sally's face as her heart lightened a bit at the thought that she was getting through to the boy. She was so gladdened that a few tears began to soak the fur around her eyes. "I-I know I haven't been there as much for you since you've gotten older, but I wanted to be, I truly did. I wanted to be with you so much even as I was fighting for you to have a future."

"I remember," Tails admitted, though his voice still held the same touch of bitterness it had held since they'd been reunited.

"Well then?" asked Sally, hoping with all her heart she would finally see the ice cold look on the fox's face melt away and that the cub would once more become the Tails she knew and loved.

_I mustn't lose him, I cannot lose him. He has to forgive me, no matter what, to know that I'm sorry. Not just for the oath I swore to his mother, not just because I am Princess and am responsible to even the youngest of my subjects._

_I love him; love him as though he were my own son, the flesh of my flesh, the blood of my blood. Without Tails in my life, by my side, all else, the fight for freedom, my very life, are meaningless to me._ Just as her hopes were reaching their peak, Tails once more looked up at her, his eyes no longer cold but blazing with anger.

"I remember. I remember that you PRETENDED to care about me, hoping people would think you were just wonderful and give you their loyalty. After all, who could say "no" to the Princess who sacrificed her childhood to care for a poor little mutant orphan? And then when you got their loyalty, when you got their support, you were able to wage your war against Robotnik, and I was no longer necessary. Oh I'll grant you that you didn't just drop me like a rock. I still got kisses and hugs and other tokens of affection when we were in public. But you were just trying to keep up appearances, to keep the mask in place." Sally shook her head back and forth as Tails spoke, trying to find some way to counter these accusations. "You just wanted your kingdom back, to be the Queen, and I was a stepping stone to that goal, nothing more." Sally swallowed the lump that had appeared in her throat, trying to choke back the tears of sadness that had replaced the hopeful ones from earlier. The squirrel princess could feel her heart breaking at the harsh accusations being leveled at her.

"It's al-alright Tails," she stammered out. "I know this… I know this isn't what you mean. You're-you're still angry, still hurt, and you're lashing out because of it. That's why you're saying all this."

"No," Tails growled, a wicked, mean smile on his face, "I'm saying this, my 'dear Aunt' Sally, because it's true." That was all Sally could take as the tears began flow freely down her cheeks. Angrily the squirrel turned her head towards Naugus.

"This is you're doing, isn't it?!" she yelled at the elderly sorcerer, pointing a finger at him. "You poisoned his mind against me with your lies, didn't you?! Making him parrot your twisted thoughts." From his throne Naugus merely sighed, his head tilting a few degrees to the side as his eyes took on a look of utmost pity for the flailing royal.

"Naugus didn't poison my mind, you did. With your lies and false comforts," Tails countered, drawing the Princess's attention back to him. "Naugus helped me; he set me free and showed me what you really are. And he showed me what he really is." For the first time since Sally had seen him again, the look on Tails's face softened, his gaze taking on an admiring countenance. That it was directed at the twisted sorcerer who'd had him kidnapped was more unsettling than anything else Sally had seen this day. "He actually cares for me; he thinks I can be more than just some baby kept in a playroom. He's like the father I never got to have. And soon he and I are gonna fix this rotten world, and bring the gift of ultimate freedom to all the people of Mobius." The fox laughed as he said this, a triumphant laugh that sounded hauntingly similar to another Sally had heard so long ago, a permanent soundtrack to the day her life had been destroyed.

"This… this can't be real," she whispered softly, shaking her head and not really seeing anything before her anymore. Thus it was a surprise when the fox she had come to rescue took a hard step forward and shoved her with all his might, sending her falling to the floor and scrapping her hip as she slid for a few inches. The leader of Knothole winced in pain as she pulled herself to her side.

"Yes it can," Tails hissed as he stood over her. "It can be very real. More real than anything, and certainly more real than the years I spent living so-called happily in Knothole." Sally cast a pitiful look at the cub, her cub, all thoughts of the plan she and her team had made to retrieve their lost comrade vanishing from her mind.

"Please… Please t-tell me," she stammered out, her voice breaking under the emotional strain, "just tell me please. Is-is there anything, anything I can do to-to earn your forgiveness? -Any way I-I c-can make you happy again?" Boot clad foot reared back as Tails delivered a sharp kick to his former guardian's stomach/ Like a chair the squirrel princess folded up, her eyes open wide with a pain that truthfully had little to do with the physical blow she had just received.

"Yes," Tails smirked, the fingers of his ungloved paw grabbing hold of her auburn hair as his other paw moved behind his back. With a sharp tug he jerked Sally's head back until her neck was completely exposed. "You can DIE!"

On the crystal throne, Naugus smiled a smile of anticipation, his eyes glittering as he beheld the object the fox drew from behind his back, the long, crystal dagger the cub had kept hidden ever since he'd stepped into view. The sharp edges of the clear crystal blade glinted as Tails's paw rose in the air.

_Now comes the moment my dear. The moment for you to receive the gift I have so long prepared for you. Soon, soon you will be free, free from all the pain and sadness you feel…_

_Free forever._

**End Of Chapter**


	27. Grabbed

_Authors - It's that time again! Yep! Time for another chapter of Mutant Body, Mobian Heart!_

_By the way, Asher Tye has a double treat for you all this time! You see, he's drawn a picture of Naugus and Tails from this story called 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice'! You can check it out on his profile (Phagetaru) over at Deviantart!_

_Anyway, I'll leave you to enjoy the latest chapter!_

**Chapter 27**

**Omega Strikes Back; Grabbed**

'_Man, these are some ugly suckers,'_ Sonic mused as he gazed at a duo of stone gargoyle statues standing with him in one of the many dilapidated and smelly alleys of Robotropolis. The two were indeed ugly to look at, with their hooked beaks, horns, oversized teeth, and beady eyes. Sonic's fertile young mind had already run down a veritable list of insults he could have used that incorporated the two misshapen figures, anything from them giving SWATbots a run for their money in the ugly department to them being the mother and father of Ixis Naugus himself.

Of course here was a reason the blue hedgehog was so fixated on his granite companions; he was worried.

'_Come on Sal, this shouldn't be takin' so long,'_ the quickster thought as he cast an anxious glance towards Command Central. The only comfort he felt was the warm energy coming off the power ring stowed safely in his trusty old backpack. His attention turned to the communications device he held in his hand, the very one Rotor had given him for this mission, as he almost willed the thing to activate. As soon as it caught the signal Sally was supposed to send via Nicole, Sonic could cease this wretched waiting, grab hold of his power ring, and jet into the twisted building and snatch Sally from out of the jaws of peril she had so bravely gone in to face. But still, no signal came.

'_Hopefully Dulce and Bunnie are doin' their part. I don't like the idea of Sal bein' with that creepy geek for too long, and she's too stubborn to leave without Tails, even if it gets her killed.'_ At this thought, Sonic's eyes narrowed. '_Not that she gets a vote in that. Long as this ol' hedgehog can gobble down chilidogs, none of my friends gets to kick the bucket. They're all going home tonight, even if I don't.'_ As he thought these thoughts, a sudden feeling came over the hedgehog. Emerald eyes turned back towards Command Central. Something told him it was time to forego waiting for a signal and race to the squirrel's rescue/

For a brief moment, Sonic obeyed, taking a single sneaker step forward. Then he stopped himself. How many times had Sonic ignored Sally's advice only to have it blow up in his face? One had only to remember the near disaster with Uncle Chuck and the deroboticizer for evidence. With immense effort of willpower, Sonic resumed his place against the door the two gargoyles were guarding.

Then he heard the sound of a sizzling hiss, a given warning of the stream of fire racing through the air towards his position. With a speed born of both instinct and his own skills, the blue hedgehog dove forward, just as the gargoyle to his right exploded in a spray of broken stone and molten sparks.

**"I thought my heat sensor detected something fuzzy,"** a metallic voice gloated as Sonic slammed stomach first on the hard ground. There was a surprised look on his face as he realized he recognized the voice, though it was one he had not expected to hear again. With a sudden jerk Sonic back-flipped into a standing position, pirouetting on his foot to face the sinister figure standing at the alley's mouth. That his eyes confirmed what his ears told his brain was no comfort at all.

**"Ah, there it is. The fear in your eyes,"** Lieutenant Omega said with a smug superiority. **"How I have missed such expressions. Were there any of my compatriots worthy of being called 'friends,' I might wish to make a video to show them." **The robot took aim with the rather large cannon that had replaced his recently destroyed arm. **"I think I will anyway. It will be something entertaining to watch during my recharge cycles."**

"What happened Omega, you were such a clunker even the scrap heap didn't want ya?" Sonic retorted back, quickly trying to regain his famous bravado.

**"Oh hardly, hedgehog. I am simply the product of Lord Naugus's new recycling program. My new upgraded software even includes a compulsion to wipe non-roboticized Mobian scum from the face of the planet! A compulsion so strong it overrides everything else on my hard-drive!" **Suddenly Omega's head tilted a bit, as though he was considering something. **"Although come to think of it, that was part of my old programming too."** Robotic shoulders shrugged. **"Ah, well, if it is not broken, why bother fixing it?"**

As Omega finished demonstrating what a motor-mouth he had become, he proceeded to fire a blast of explosive fire at the heroic hedgehog. Sonic once more back-flipped out of the opposite end of the alley, rolling to one side just in time to avoid the incoming fireball as it streaked past him and smashed into the lower half of another building, reducing it to smoking rubble.

_'Blast it. Now I'm stuck here babysitting this mech-head so he doesn't send a search party out to look for the others,'_ Sonic thought as he began to run about to keep Omega busy. _'Sure hope Sal can hold out a little bit longer.'_ Another fireball was launched in the hedgehog's direction, and this time he zipped to his left, using the sudden vacuum his acceleration created to draw the flames off course and send them slamming into pavement.

"Ha, if that's the best you can do, gear-head, maybe Naugus should just stick to replacing bots wholesale," Sonic quipped even as another shot was taken. Effortlessly he dodged the attack, using his superior agility to actually vault over the burning projectile. Not for the first time in this guerrilla war, the young Mobian thanked Rosie for all but forcing her childish charges to learn the art of dancing when they were kids.

**(That's right, hedgehog, just keep showing off your meaningless muscular abilities.)** Omega thought as he continued to blast away in a seemingly random pattern. )**The more you try to "distract" me from your meaningless friends, the further into my trap you fall.)** On his internal monitor, something blipped into Omega's visual range, crawling down the side of the building. Something big and beastly and possessed of a very large body and eight long, nimble legs. Legs it would eagerly use to crush the life out of the unsuspecting speedster.

* * *

_'How? How could this have happened?'_ Sally thought as the glittering blade of the crystal dagger filled her tear-blurred vision.

She could remember so clearly the Tails of earlier, the happy child he had been. She could see how anxiously he had helped the Freedom Fighters and villagers tend to the dying trees of Knothole Village. She could almost see the desperation on the cub's features as he worked harder than any child his age probably had before, a desperation born from the fact that, unlike the other residents, Knothole was quite literally the only home he'd ever known.

She remembered the bitter tears he'd cried as he'd been parted form the only friend he'd ever made. Her own heart had itself nearly stopped when Baby-T had asked Tails to remain with the terrapod herd, fearful he would accept such an offer. It had only resumed its steady beat when he had refused, though she had felt awful guilt over being glad about something that had made the fox-cub weep so.

And now she saw the angry, hurt Tails that stood above her, ready to take her life in his rage. A torrent of emotions threatened to tear the squirrel princess apart. But most prominent of all was shame. She was ashamed of herself for having driven him away from the one place in the world that was home to him, of having refused to let him join the Freedom Fighters when he had given up a possibly happier life to do be able to do so. The Tails she had known had been a truly wonderful person, one who she, in her own arrogance, had taken for granted and now lost.

He had been so full of life and hope, a hope that had been renewed each day with the arrival of ever newer possibilities and joys. A light for so many others, extinguished now and taken away by none other but her very paw.

'_How could I have let it come to this?'_ she thought.

The whistling of the dagger blade's approach, threatening to end her struggles once and for all, awoke her from her trance. Instincts honed by years of battle came to the fore as the squirrel's eyes hardened. A swift hand reached up, grabbing hold of the murderous fox cub's gloved wrist.

Death had been escaped by mere inches, the gleaming tip of the beautiful so close she could feel it pricking the soft flesh of her throat. Somewhat surprised there was still some fight left in his former guardian, the less experienced Tails couldn't escape as Sally suddenly threw him over her shoulder. For her part, Sally winced at the sound of the fox's small body hitting the floor hard.

Both Mobians rose to their feet at the same time, watching each other's movements warily. Fury pulled every muscle in the cub's face taut, a mask of hatred glaring at the squirrel he had once considered family. For her part, Sally's face was calm and collected, though a stream of tears betrayed the turmoil she still felt.

"I see you're finally ready to put up a fight," the vulpine sneered. "Guess you're not seeing little Tails as just a 'little cub' anymore, huh?"

"You're not Tails, not the one I know, not the one loved back at Knothole," Sally bit back. "The Tails I know has a heart, a real heart. He cares for the people around him, not just himself. You're a fake. Just a twisted caricature of someone I love. A mockery of the real Tails."

"But I know he's in there somewhere, isn't he. Buried deeply but still aching to be let out. And that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to free him from this place and make sure he returns to his home in Knothole." The sneer on Tails's face became more pointed.

"Keep saying that Princess and maybe it will come true," he spit back before adding. "And maybe purple dragons will come flying out of your ass!" Despite this rather cruel and crude taunt, Sally smiled still through her tears.

"I'm saying it because it's true," she explained, wiping the sneering smile from the cub's face as he chewed his own words. "I swear now and forever I will never give up on the cub I raised as my own. What we have is stronger than whatever evil magic Naugus has worked on you to twist you so." For a brief moment, Tails only stood there glaring with his arms crossed, his eyes like blue fire boring through the squirrel. Then he let out a harsh laugh.

"And just how much strain will that belief take, I wonder, before it breaks," he said. Before Sally's eyes the cub passes her by, casually pushing a button on his way. From the ground a pair of mechanical shackles rose, clamping tightly onto the princess's ankles, effectively trapping her. From upon his throne of crystal, Naugus chuckled.

"It does seem my young apprentice is finally ready to proceed with his very first lesson, hmm," the sorcerer said, holding out his gloved hand towards the cub and grinning with the happiest of expectations. The conspiratorial smirk was returned by the fox.

"Of course sir," he said, reaching into one of his new pockets and pulling forth an object he proceeded to deposit in Naugus's hand. A solitary blue hedgehog quill, removed from the cub's shoulder when he was brought into the city.

"Now pay attention, my little pupil," Naugus began as he held the quill in his covetous claw. His voice had become solemn and scholarly, as if he were about to give a lecture. "This particular brand of magic is quite crude in nature, but what it lacks in elegance it makes up for in effectiveness which, after all, is the important thing for our purposes."

"And it'll stop that spiky-brained moron in his worthless tracks," Tails agreed. Tendrils of mystical energy began to move about Naugus's fingers before creeping through the air towards the quill, much to the glee of the sorcerer and amusement of his new ally.

Sally watched in horror, her mind already coming up with any number of foul things Naugus could do to her best friend. Quickly she reached into her vest, ready to unclip N.I.C.O.L.E. and send warnings, but her paw grabbed naught but air. A quick look about revealed the little computer's fate. During her tussle with Tails, the clip holding Nicole to her vest pocket had come undone, sending the device skittering across the floor, and well out of reach of the now trapped Princess. In desperation Sally looked about, a glimmer of hope coming to her eye as she caught sight of the crystal dagger that had only moments ago been poised right at her neck. A quick glance to her left revealed that the ominous human called Zero had, for whatever reason, taken his leave of the area. With both fox and sorcerer currently preoccupied, the squirrel Princess seized her chance, bending at her waist and reaching out to claim the glittering weapon.

* * *

Meanwhile, the familiar street of Robotropolis was now pockmarked with smoking craters ringed with ash, fallout from the explosive effects of Lieutenant Omega's new gun. Even as the target of this assault, Sonic couldn't help but smirk as he dodged another of the robot's explosive blasts, his lithe, young body almost seeming to dance to some unknown choreography. He was having great fun playing this deadly game of Cat 'N' Mouse, though he was mindful to keep an ear open for Sally's signal.

Suddenly the happy expression was wiped clean from his peach-furred muzzle, replaced by one of agony as a crippling pain seared its way through his body.

It was an agony so intense he could barely see straight, let alone run. Muscles and tendons cramped all at once from the mysterious sensory input and the only sound he could make was a rough squeak. Determinedly the hedgehog attempted to take a step forward, only to teeter and collapse face forward to the ground.

"Wh-What's hap-pening to… me?" the pained Sonic managed to gasp out, wrapping his arm around his side as he quivered a bit. He'd gotten stitches from pushing himself too hard while running before, but there was no way this could be so simple a coincidence. The sound of heavy footfalls reminded him of Omega's presence, even as the sight of metallic feet told him where the mechanical soldier was.

Omega stared down at the stricken Mobian, his singular optic glowing as he took in the scene.

**"Oh dear, you seem to be in trouble. What's the matter, a tummy-ache? A touch of flu perhaps?"** Sonic couldn't even manage a scowl at this bad joke as he watched the SWATbot Elite tap his new arm cannon with a single finger. **"Well don't worry, little hero, I'll be more than happy to give you a shot and make you forget all about your current pains."**

Suddenly Sonic became aware of something wrapping around him. Several somethings in fact which quickly work to pin his arms and bind his legs, taking advantage of his momentary weakness even as he began to get used to the pain. Like a sack of spuds Sonic was lifted into the air a few feet.

**"An excellent job Grabber, you are truly a spider amongst robots," **Omega said to the arachnid-like robot that had until now been hidden in the shadows. **"It seems you were well worth the two weeks I spent constructing you while I was being rebuilt."** Then he looked directly at Sonic, taking aim with his gun.** "Don't worry Sonic, I can honestly guarantee you won't feel a thing… Because when this blast hits you, there would be so much as half a nerve ending left to register pain."**

From his vantage, Sonic struggled to keep his cool, wondering just which would get to kill him first; the ever-increasing agony that was cascading through his body, the iron grip of the Grabber that was steadily getting tighter and harder to breathe through, or the now charging arm cannon of the maniacal SWATbot.

_'How do I keep getting myself into these messes?'_

**To be continued…**


	28. Cyborg and SWATbot

_Author Notes - Hello, hello, hello! I guess it's that time again!_

_Kudos again to Asher Tye for turning my summary into another chunk of story! By the way, the new version of the chapter called The Predator And The Prey; The Squint Of Snively has been uploaded too! I hope it reads a heck of a lot better! Anyway, enjoy!_

**Chapter 28**

**The Rage; Cyborg and SWATbot**

Bunnie hugged herself tightly against the gust of wind that wafted through her fur, though the chill morning breeze had little to nothing to do with the shiver that ran up her spine. Something didn't feel right, and the lapine was not one to keep such feelings to herself.

"Somethin' ain't right here Dulcy," the cyborg's sweet voice stated to her dragon companion. "It's been too long since we heard from anybody. We shoulda received the signal to move out by now. I'm startin' ta think the signal ain't comin'." The long neck of her comrade swung back towards Bunnie as one of the most formidable Mobians to ever exist looked at her.

"Relax Bunnie," the dragon counseled, "you're just feeling twitchy over the situation. Any minute now Sonic's gonna fire his flare gun and we'll go into action. I'll bust a hole into Command Central's holding cells and you'll go in and rescue Tails from whatever dank cell Naugus stuffed him into. Simple as pie. And then while you two are making your escape, I'll make sure the Hover-Units don't follow you. Soinc'll be able to use the confusion to zip in and pull Sally out of her tight corner before Naugus can even blink. We'll be back in Knothole eatin' cakes and scrumpets by tea time."

At the dragon's words, Bunnie nodded It was a good plan, a sound plan. Bunnie couldn't think of a single reason not to follow it to the absolute letter. For a few minutes, the cyborg rabbit stared straight ahead in silence. Then she turned.

"I'm gonna go check on sugar-hog," Bunnie said as she began to walk away, much to Dulcy's shock.

"But what about…"

"I'll just be a minute, Dulce, I swear," Bunnie called back. "I just gotta make sure Sonic's all right." With a short hop, Bunnie jumped onto the hover pad she'd used to make it to the roof earlier and left before her companion could make any further protests. Her ears whipped behind her as she sped away, flying low to the ground to avoid detection. Quickly she darted from around corners and through side streets, searching for the alley Sonic had been left in.

At once she knows her gut has not led her astray. If the sight of the melted gargoyles weren't enough to convince her of this fact, the anguished scream of pain coming from the street the alley led to was.

"With mounting fear the teenaged doe flew over the buildings in the direction of the sound, looking for Sonic. None too soon she finds him, and she can only breathe a gasp of horror.

Sonic dangles halfway above the street, struggling like mad while in the grip of what could only be described as a robotic spider.

"Sonic!" she yelled, though a strong gust of wind quickly obliterated the sound of her voice. With no time to waste, she swoops in to save her friend.

Still in pain, Sonic could only barely manage to open his eyes, just in time to see Bunnie coming to the rescue.

"B-B-Bunnie! Don't come any, closer! Get out of here!" the hedgehog warned his friend.

'_Sorry sugar-hog, but I got no time for you to be noble 'bout this,'_ Bunnie thought as she continued onward. The sudden flash of a laser beam cures her of her misconception. Throwing her full weight to the side, the cyborg barely manages to avoid a direct hit, though the resultant explosive blast does manage to singe the fur on her organic shoulder. Veering to the left, the Freedom Fighter managed to regain control of her hover pad before she could crash into a flaming building.

Once again airborne, Bunnie looks about for the source of the attack, soon catching sight of Lieutenant Omega.

**"Do you realize this is startlingly similar to an old carnival game called 'The Shooting Gallery?'**" the robot said as he attempted to line up his gun with the moving rabbit.** "All we need is a duck to complete the picture." **Again the machine's weapon fired. Skillfully avoiding the blast, Bunnie then performed a daredevil swoop at Omega, leaping from her pad as she passed. Lacking a rider, the small vehicle came to a stop a few yards away, unnoticed by either cyborg or robot.

Sensing the threat, Omega turned and brought his gun to bear on the Mobian, only for Bunnie to grab hold of the cannon with her robotic arm and force it upward. Like a streaking comet the resultant fireball shot into the air and exploded in safety. Under the shining light of the explosion, Omega swung his leg at his impromptu opponent, only for it to be met by one of Bunnie's own roboticized legs. The clanging of metal sent a shockwave of vibrations, causing Bunnie to grit her teeth in pain.

**"Heh. Feeling a bit like a used tuning fork, little worker-bot,"** Omega sneered. The SWAT-bot elite's free hand moved to grab the stalwart rabbit, only to find itself stopped by Bunnie's organic hand. For now the match is a stalemate, with neither combatant able to make a move without a catastrophic loss of balance. **"You can't possibly believe you can keep this up, little girl. Even if your second-grade cybernetics are able to stave me off for long, it's only a matter of time before the strength of you fleshy and sinewy arm fails you."** As if to accentuate the point, more pressure is applied to Bunnie's already pained hand. **"All I have to do is wait for you tire, and then I'll snap you as easily as a dry twig."**

"Nice ta have dreams, bot, but this ain't exactly over just yet," Bunnie gritted out as her muscles tensed even more, preventing the robotic arm from coming down further.

**"Insolent organic! What makes you think you have the power to face the likes of me? I am a robot, a pure machine! You are neither a robot, nor a Mobian. You are NOTHING!"** As the voice of Omega thundered down upon her ears and sweat began to appear on her brow, Bunnie couldn't help but realize she was in serious trouble…

Meanwhile, back at the building Bunnie had left only a few moments before, a lone, gigantic figure watched as the explosive fireball form Omega's arm cannon rose into the air.

"_Sonic's signal,"_ Dulcy cried, happy that the wait was finally ended. Taking a deep breath, the guardian dragon rose into the air, shifting her wings into flight position as she took off. Like a guided missile the formidably creature flew directly towards Command Central.

'_Bunnie, I hope you're ready to do your part,'_ Dulcy thought as she concentrated on striking the building with her powerful tail.

* * *

"ACK!" Naugus yelled as his entire throne room suddenly gave a violent shake from a mighty impact; while nearby Tails lost his balance, falling to all fours. "What in the name of the Goddesses was that?" the sorcerer demanded.

"It must have been Dulcy," Tails answered as he regained his footing, his voice calm and sage-like as he spoke, "the dragon who aids the Freedom Fighters. Hers is the only force brute enough to rock a building like this one." At this information so willingly given, Naugus smiled.

"Well, if this is the judgment of my clever little Kitsune, then I see no reason to disagree," the elder Mobian stated. "But there is no need to worry. I have just the thing in mind to deal with so formidable a creature." Before Naugus could get off another round of cackling, both he and his foxy apprentice hear the sound of metal snapping. Blue and black eyes turn to the source to find Sally has just used the crystal dagger to force open one of the shackles around her foot.

"That's not going to do you any good Princess," Tails said, moving forward. "You can't get away so easily."

"I'm not looking to escape here Miles," Sally said as she flipped the dagger around in her hand to grasp the blade. Quickly the squirrel Princess took aim and threw the weapon. The gem blade flashed like a shaft of light as it flew through the air, finding its home in the gloved hand of Ixis Naugus.

"ARGH!" the sorcerer howled as he already weakened concentration was broken and the spell he'd cast was broken. Subject only to the force of gravity now, the cobalt quill he'd been using as a medium fell from Naugus's grip to the floor.

"Naugus!" a concerned Tails yelled, dashing up to his injured master's side. With the treacherous vulpine's attention diverted, Sally used the opportunity to stretch out her newly freed leg to bring Nicole close enough to grab.

"Never mind me, lad! The quill…"

"…must be destroyed!" Sally finished for him as she aimed Nicole's laser at the downed object. A red beam of energy fires form Nicole, vaporizing the quill out of existence, ending Naugus's magical assault on its former owner. The sound of twirling air and an instant later find Tails nearly snout to snout with the Princess,

"That was a cheap move, especially from a so-called royal," the fox hissed as he pressed the tip of the crystal dagger against Sally's stomach.

"Well you're perfectly entitled to your opinion, but I think it was a pretty good move myself," Sally retorted, a sweet smile on her face. Angrily Tails scowled.

"I think it's time you gave me your little toy, Princess."

"I thought you might feel that way," the squirrel said gently. "Of course it would help if you took a step or two back so I can hand Nicole to you." The fox looked skeptical at this. "It's not like I can turn around and run away from you, is it? I'm your helpless prisoner." A moment's consideration and the twin-tailed traitor made his decision, taking a half a step back even as he kept the crystal dagger at the ready. With her left paw, Sally handed her minicomputer over to the boy.

And with her right knee, she struck him in his soft gut, causing the dagger to flip out of his grasp. As Tails sputtered and coughed, desperate for breath, Sally once more took possession of the edged weapon, brandishing it warningly at the cub. Fox and squirrel looked at one another in the eyes.

"THAT was pretty good though," Tails finally managed to get out before taking a step forward to stand toe to furry toe with his ex-aunt. "But do you have the guts to press your advantage? You've managed to temporarily neutralize Naugus, so all you have to do to escape now," the dagger's tip disappeared into the thick, creamy-white fur of the cub's chest, "is use that dagger on me." For a tense moment, the former friends remained as thus. Then Tails's hand reached out and he took hold of dagger. Sally didn't even resist. "I thought so."

"Of course I didn't kill you," the squirrel responded. "You're my friend Tails." Deftly the youth touched the dagger's blade to Sally's lips, a signal for her to be silent.

"No. No I'm not," he said with great finality, his face taking on a look of twisted cruelty. "And if you move again without my permission, I swear I'll carve you up like a Halloween pumpkin and send your head back to Knothole as a warning to everyone else!" At this rather grisly description, Sally startled a bit, a flash of fear appearing in her eyes as she considered the possibility that the cub was so far gone he might actually carry out his threat. Then Tails began to chuckle, which led to a rather derisive bout of laughter. "And you're the one who kept saying she was going to 'free' me from the 'evil' influence of Naugus."

"What?"

"You seemed pretty ready to believe I'd carry out my threat just now, didn't 'Aunt' Sally. So much for your beliefs about the 'real' Tails being buried somewhere beneath me. They didn't last too long once I became a real threat to you."

"Well done, a most masterful deception," Naugus complimented the fox, a grin on his face even as he worked to heal his injured hand. "Indeed, you are truly a most worthy apprentice… my son." These last words caused both Sally and Tails to concentrate their attention on the sorcerer, one looking confused, and one swelling with pride.

"You… You called me 'son?'"

"Well of course," the ancient Mobian reassured the cub, his eyes beaming with pride as he kept his eyes on the blue suited fox. "What sire would not desire a lad as fine as yourself for his offspring? And, as no one yet seems to have had the gumption to make the claim, why not it be me?" A slow smile creeped across Tails's face as he heard the honeyed words, even as a few tears came to Sally's eyes over the same. It was these tears Tails noticed as he turned back to the squirrel, his smiles faltering for an instant.

"You know it's funny," he began, his voice cracking a bit as he held back the emotions unlocked by Naugus's words, "it's funny that I should mention such a thing as Halloween and you should try to tell me how much I was 'loved' back at Knothole."

"You are loved back at Knothole, Tails," Sally repeated. "If you'd just think back, I'm sure you'd remember…"

"You want to know what I remember, Princess? Do you really want to?"

_A five year old Tails was quite excited. It was Halloween in Knothole, and soon it would be dark enough to go trick-or-treating, an activity he was greatly looking forward to. It would be the first year his 'Aunt' Sally was going to take him to do so, along with Sonic and Rotor and Bunnie and all his friends. Even the prospect of all that free candy paled in comparison to the fact that he was finally big enough to go out with older friends and stay out late._

_Still, there was work to be done if he wanted to go. Trick-or-treating required costumes and, while Knothole did not have the resources to make elaborate disguises, the children were still able, and expected to, make masks for themselves to wear. Tails had been working on his mask for a full week, and it was still not ready. Hence the reason for his trek to Ms. Fairfeahter's general store. The middle-aged fowl had been gracious enough to give him some old scrap cloth to use for color. And she'd even given them to him for free. _

_Happily the cub left the store, walking in the direction of the hut he had to share with Rosie, when a hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder._

_"Well look who it is," a voice said as Tails was spun around. "It's the Princess's pet." The fox found himself facing three older boys, a cat, a dog, and a mouse respectively. He'd seen them playing around Knothole, but never been introduced. "Whatcha got there?" the cat asked. Though he'd been taught never to talk to strangers, the idea of anyone in Knothole being a threat seemed foreign to Tails. After all, weren't they all supposed to be friends in the village?_

_"Decorations," he said in his friendliest voice, holding up the scraps of cloth, "for my mask. Aunt Sally's letting me go trick-or-treating tonight for Halloween." As he said this last part, young Tails couldn't help but let some excitement pepper his voice. Even then he couldn't help but notice the dog and mouse snickering behind their friend, or that the cat was suddenly shaking his head._

_"What do you need a mask for? You already got the best costume of all," the feline announced to the confused cub. "You're a freak!" This sudden outburst started Tails, causing him to step back and accidentally stumble off the wooden deck of Ms. Fairfeather's store. The colorful cloth went flying from out of his hands, and Tails scrambled to grab the bits and pieces up before they were dirtied on the ground. He was quite surprised when a handful of them wound up in the laughing cat's paws. Honestly the fox held out his own paw._

_"Can I have them back?" he asked, suddenly feeling like he wanted to leave this particular company._

_"What do you need them for? You're already in your freak costume. What more do you need to get candy," the cat repeated as he held the fabric out of the fox's reach._

_"Ah, give the little dweeb a break, Jared," the dog said. "Maybe he wants to go as something different for once. A freak raccoon instead of the freak fox he always is." It was at this point Tails decided to make do with the cloth he'd managed to save and turned to leave, trying to hide the quiver that had come to his lower lip._

_"Ah, don't leave, we were only having fun," the mouse called before the cub had taken his first step. Tentatively Tails looked back, his ear perking up as he considered this possibility. "That's right. Truth is we're just a little jealous of you, kid," the mouse continued. The fox turned, a slight smile coming to his face, only to be shattered as his tormentors continued to chuckle. "After all, if it's the best way to get people to give you candy, who wouldn't want to be a pathetic freak with two tails!" Again surprised, Tails fell backwards, landing painfully on his butt and the two appendages that protruded from it. Laughter soon echoed about him as he scrambled to his feet and took off running, not even caring that he'd lost half of what he'd been carrying._

As Tails finished his tale, Sally couldn't help but notice the single tear trailing down the cub's cheek, paltry proof of how upsetting the memory was for the poor boy.

"Tch, tch, tch, tch. Princess," Naugus said, drawing the squirrel's attention back to himself. The sorcerer's hand was now fully healed, and any chance of Sally escaping on her own evaporated as completely as the wound it had formerly held. The ancient Mobian looked down at his captive guest, a frown on his face as he shook his head and walked over to the pair. "I must say I am most disappointed in you. To allow such treatment of one you profess to love. I am appalled at such negligence. Appalled and ashamed." A single arm reached out as Naugus gave Tails a comforting pat on the head. "I assure you, had I been present all three of those nasty hooligans would have been punished most severely."

"It's not like that," Sally defended herself to the warlock. "He never told me." She then looked Tails in the eye. "You never told me."

"You never asked!" Tails accused. "And you never asked because you never cared. Didn't you even once wonder why I kept hanging around you guys? Did you even think what it meant that I played dirt hockey all alone? _Loved_ in Knothole? I was the loneliest person in Knothole you witch! The Freedom Fighters were the only ones even remotely close to my own age that didn't treat me like garbage. And then you went and abandoned me!" Tails's breathing became more and more rapid as he worked himself into an emotional tizzy.

"We never…"

"Yes you did. You all went off on your… missions," the cub spat this last word. "But I didn't think that was so bad, I honestly didn't. You had a job to do, I could understand that. And it wasn't like you didn't come home again and talk to me. All I had to do was wait. At least that's what I thought!" As Tails spoke, Sally was coming to a realization. She had long held the belief that the cub's desire to be a Freedom Fighter was a childish whim, the wish of a boy to follow in the footsteps of his heroes and play the same "game" they did. But, if what Tails said was true, Sally, Sonic, and their friends had quite literally been the only friends the cub had thought he had.

_'And when we started going on missions and leaving him behind, it must have felt like being abandoned all over again. All he wanted then was to rejoin his friends, to be with the only people he knew who didn't treat him like an outcast. And when I took his backpack…_

_'Oh, it wasn't like we were kicking him out of the Freedom Fighters, it was like we were saying he wasn't good enough to be our friend anymore. That must have hurt more than any of the taunting or mistreatment he'd suffered before. No wonder he thinks I never loved him.' _A horrible guilt knotted itself in the Princess's stomach. In trying to protect the one she loved, she'd inadvertently inflicted the very worst wound of all.

At this point Tails turned from the squirrel, unwilling to look at her anymore, though his new master, his new 'family' remained to glare at her.

"Such thoughtlessness Princess, such cruelty," he said gravely as he again stroked his new ward's head. "I cannot abide such a thing, not without retribution, not without repayment." That wicked claw clicked as Naugus spoke. "Yes a punishment fitting must be meted out. And who more deserving to decide on your punishment than the one you wronged." Naugus looked down at Tails, silently summoning the fox's attention again. "What say you, my son? What punishment would be fair to one who so callously disregarded another? You have only to speak your opinion and I shall have justice be done. Speak anything, be it banishment from my… from _our_ city to even that most final of ends." Once more Tails turned to look at look at Sally, once his guardian, now his chosen victim. Ice blue eyes seemed to twinkle as a malicious grin crossed the cub's face.

"You thought I'd stay the same forever, an insipid little baby happily playing blocks in the play room while all around me the world changed. Well now you get to be the child in the playroom." Tails looked up at Naugus. "Trap her in crystal. Freeze her forever more. We can put her on the highest balcony in the city, so she can watch and see the world change." Eyes darted back to the squirrel. "I'll even come visit you, tell you all about what's going on. You'll be like Sleeping Beauty, forever out of time, but never permitted to awaken." Upon hearing the cub's judgment, Naugus let out a merry laugh.

"Inspired! I doubt even I could dream up so poetic a punishment for our wayward maiden. Truly, Miles, you are a most entertaining fellow."

Before Sally's eyes, magical energy began to gather about Naugus's hand as he prepared to enact his spell. Even without the remaining shackle firmly gripping her leg, she might as well have been frozen in place, unable to do or say anything in her own defense. All she can hope is that her actions have aided Sonic in whatever struggle the hedgehog now finds himself in, and it is a hope she holds deep in her heart.

Still, as she took what might be her final look at the fox that had formerly been the closest thing she had to a son, she couldn't help but make a chilling realization. The look in Tails's eyes when he had made his accusation, decrying her towards Naugus, it had been the same look he'd worn the night he'd been screaming at her in his hut the night she'd tried to threaten him into obedience. The same look he'd worn when she'd confronted him in her own hut just yesterday.

One thing fueled that look, and now, rather than giving in to it, Tails had actually become it.

Rage.

* * *

Grabber's grip was getting tighter. Sonic could tell this because it was getting increasingly harder to draw breath into his lungs. And that wasn't even considering the edges of the spider-bot's robotic legs that were cutting into the skin under his fur.

But now the whole ordeal had taken a decided turn for the worse, given the excellent view the hedgehog had as he watched Bunnie preparing to meet her end at the hands of Omega.

_'If this stupid pain would just let up for a second I could...'_ Sonic's train of thought came to a screeching halt as he suddenly realized something.

The pain was gone, evaporated as suddenly and mysteriously as it had appeared

Pausing not to question his good fortune, Sonic immediately took steps to save his imperiled friend. And step one was escaping the iron grip of the arachnid Grabber. With a grunt the hedgehog began to struggle in earnest, pitting the strength of his muscles of his flesh and blood body against those of Grabber's one metal and gears. At the surface this seemed a fool's errand, for after all, if Bunnie's strength was no match for a mechanical adversary, what hope did the weakened Sonic have? But Sonic knew he was more than just strength, he was also speed, speed unparalleled.

Soon enough Sonic's squirming paid off as his hips slipped out of Grabber's grip, his legs now freely dangling beneath the spider-bot. Kicking out his feet, Sonic was able to feel it as the heavy robot began to swing like a pendulum. Hedgehog legs curled backwards as Sonic kept the motion going, his captor unable to do anything save increase the pressure it was pouring on his chest. The instant Sonic felt the wall of the building they dangled from beneath his feet, he began to run, the grip of his sneakers sufficient to let him pull forward rather than bounce off. Given no orders to release, Grabber continued to hold on and inevitably found itself being dragged along as its captive ran. Behind them both, the thread that held the spider aloft stretched and strained to its limit, snapping loudly and returning hedgehog and robot to gravity's waiting embrace. As they began to fall, Sonic used the last of the traction he'd built up to bend over, flipping them around so that the armored spider was the one on the bottom and himself on top.

With a thunderous crash Grabber hit the pavement below, the cement cracking under the heavy weight of the metal monster and a large dent being put in the earth as it landed. Sonic grunted at the impact, but it was a happy grunt as his plan came to fruition. On its back, the spider began to flail about, its legs releasing its captive as it bucked about to right itself. Tired and bruised, Sonic managed to roll off Grabber's belly and onto the ground below. There the Hero of Mobius lay, panting for breath as he worked to convince himself he had not only performed such an escape feat, but had survived to live to tell the tale. This would definitely make a good story for the campfire.

The sound of metal scrapping against the ground drew the spiky one's attention, causing him to look back over his shoulder.

"Ah, man," the disappointed hedgehog spat, his blood running cold at what he saw. Burdened with neither with breath to recapture nor bruises to contend with, nimble Grabber had been able to right itself quickly and had quickly approached the still prone hedgehog. Now its eyes burned red and the pincers of its mouth clacked ferociously as it prepared to bite off the Sonic's blue head.

As she struggled with Omega, Bunnie could feel her arm starting to go dead, a sure sign it would not be able to hold off the SWATbot Elite for much longer. Casting a glance behind Omega, the rabbit caught sight of her friend about to meet his end at the mandibles of the android arachnid. Trapped in her own fight for survival, all the doe could do for her friend was scream.

"SONIC!"

**End Of Chapter**


	29. A Shock To The System

_Author notes - It sure has been a while! But a while of waiting that both Asher Tye and I are hopeful you'll deem to have been worthwhile once you're done reading the latest spellbinding installment of MBMH! By the way, I've also uploaded a new and improved version of the chapter called 'The Meaning Of Zero; Into The Raging Storm'! I hope you like them both!_

_Once again, a hearty cheer for the splendid work of Asher Tye!_

**Chapter 29**

**A Shock To The System; Victory Or Despair?**

It is said that history is an unbroken chain of events. That each and everything that happens or has happened has its cause rooted, however insignificantly, in the events that had transpired before.

As Bunnie's temporary stalemate with Lieutenant Omega continued, she was very much inclined to agree. She knew she could not keep this struggle up forever. Sooner or later, her body would be unable to continue and, when that happened, she would be crumpled up and tossed aside as casually as an empty soda can. A quick glance over to the still prone Sonic confirmed that, should that happen, the hedgehog would invariably die, either by the sharp pincers of the Grabber or Omega's own plasma cannon.

And then Sally would be completely at Naugus's mercy.

And then Tails would never be rescued from this damnable city.

And then the Freedom Fighters would fall, leaving Mobius itself at the mercy of the dark sorcerer.

Unable to bear such a chain of events unraveling, and unwilling to be the cause for such a thing, the cybernetic rabbit did the only thing she could think to do; the unexpected. Shifting her weight quickly, the teenaged doe began to topple backwards. Mechanical and organic hands gripped the startled Omega tightly, pulling him along for the ride as Bunnie fell to her back. A thunderous bang was heard as Bunnie's metal feet slammed into Omega's armored midsection. With a grunt and a growl, the Freedom Fighter added her own might to the momentum generated and threw the SWATbot Elite over her body, sending him crashing into a wall of one of the buildings that had managed to survive the initial fireball salvo.

Bunnie didn't even spare time to catch her breath as she braced her back against the ground and gave a kick, righting herself once more before running to the aid of her fellow Freedom Fighter.

The Grabber stood before Sonic, its mouth open and sparking. In mere seconds it would all be over for the hedgehog.

With a mighty leap Bunnie vaulted over the spider-bot, interposing herself between her friend and electrified death. Mechanical eyes began to glow an angry red as the killing machine stared at this unwelcome intruder. Crying in fury, the robot struck, bringing its full weight to bear against its new target. And in an instant the attack ended, the Grabber's head flying from its metal shoulders after thanks to Bunnie's waiting uppercut.

With a loud crash the decapitated body of the Grabber fell to the ground, Bunnie almost following suit in utter exhaustion. As it happened, she fell only to her cybernetic knees, her mechanical paw bracing her against the ground. For a few moments, the cyber bunny's body could only heave as she gasped for much needed air. The feeling of an arm wrapping around her shoulders was enough to reinvigorate her again as she prepared for a new attack, only to recognize Sonic as the arm's owner.

"Do not let anyone, ANYONE say you are anything less than awesome Bunnie," the grateful hedgehog declared. "If someone does, I'll be happy to kick their keisters for you." At this a sharp chuckle escaped the doe's lips as she smiled at her azure friend.

"I do declare, Mr. Hedgehog, if'n you don't know how to turn a lil' ol' girl's head," Bunnie whispered back, still trying to catch her breath. "I guess I should thank mah stars Sally-girl isn't here ta see this. She might accidentally misunderstand tha situation like one o' them old TV comedies." Again the rab-bot gave a sharp laugh, joined now by Sonic himself.

"Yeah, I remember those. Never could stand 'em." The two friends continued to share their laugh, only to instantly sober up at the sound of a synthesized growl.

Lieutenant Omega stomped towards them, his arm canon swinging back and forth by his side as his expressionless face seemed to glare hatefully at the two Mobians.

**"I can understand why the Princess would be jealous of you. Afterall, what girl wouldn't want to become a smoking crater in the ground?"**

Sonic and Bunnie passed each other fearful looks, both knowing the SWATbot Elite's appearance could not have come at a worse time. They were both still exhausted and in too much pain to make any move, whether to attack the robot or evade his attacks.

**"Don't worry my dear, you'll be just as 'awesome' a crater as you were a half-Mobian/half-Worker-bot freak."** Omega said as he stood before the two, towering over them like a smokestack shadowing a pair of stray ants. Bunnie sensed Sonic's grip on her shoulder tightening, the hedgehog's body tensing as he prepared for the inevitable end the SWATbot promised to bring. Gritting her teeth, Bunnie shook off her friend's well meaning arm, unwilling to give up on living just yet.

Omega watched as the rabbit tried to stand, rising up only to fall again to her knee. Undefeated, again she made to rise, this time managing to get to her feet, shoulders rising and falling as she struggled to maintain her balance. It would have been child's play to say the least for Omega to blow the girl rabbit away, to vaporize her with his arm cannon where she wobbled. But the robot commander stayed his hand. He was intrigued as to what this upstart cyborg thought she could do in this, her final moments of life. Wobbling, just a bit unsteady, the fem-bunny stood between the robot and the hedgehog, arms wide apart and staring straight into Omega's lone eye.

"Please," she began, tears in her eyes as she looked at him. "Please stop this. Please stop trying to hurt us. Haven't we, hasn't everyone on Mobius suffer'd enough?

"Whatever yuh may think of us, whatever hatreds Robotnik has put in yor head… yuh can't believe we deserve… THIS!" Bunnie's arms waved around to the destroyed area of the city, the remnant of Omega's efforts to destroy his targets. "If there's anything, anything at all like a real intelligence in those circuits uh yers, then… then yuh can't want to be doing this!"

Upon hearing this, Omega could't help but want to sneer. He would have too, if his face had been possessed of features to facilitate such an action. This rabbit, this _cyborg-_filth, claimed he shouldn't want to destroy them. He would prove just how wrong she was by blowing both her and the hated hedgehog to Hell in one fiery blast. Nonchalantly the SWATbot Elite raised his cannon arm, carefully lining up a shot that would do just that. Soon both Mobians were in his optimal sites, ready to die. A sense of something akin to giddiness fell over Omega as he prepared to fire…

…and found he could not.

Even as he stared at his two potential victims, his canon arm still pointed at them, his programming virtually screaming for him to proceed… he could not.

Something was holding him back.

Angrily the SWATbot performed a self diagnostic, seeking to locate and purge whatever was now causing his hesitation. Quite suddenly his view screen began to fill with static, his auditory sensors gathering nothing but a crackling sound around him. Before his singular eye, the cyborg rabbit's image blurred, disappearing into the swirling mosaic of black and white snow. Just as quickly as it started, the visual feed cleared and once more Omega beheld the sight of the young rabbit.

Or at least, what he chose to believe to be the rabbit.

Bunnie was now drastically younger, no longer a teenager, but now a simple five year old. Her limbs were no longer robotic, but the original organic versions, and pink bows now adorned her long ears. But even as she had changed physically, tears still streamed from her eyes, anguish evident on her face.

"Pa! Please don't!" she wailed in the voice of a terrified child. As Omega took in this scene, even he couldn't help but feel a bit creeped out, an interesting sensation considering the stoic nature his robotic condition should have conferred. Then he heard another voice, a voice tinged with the same accent of the Southern Provinces as the rabbit maiden before him, and pulsating with an irrational rage. Curiously, the voice appeared to be coming from himself.

"What did yuh jest say tuh me, girly? 'Don't?' Don't yuh tell me what tuh do! I'm the father here! And yuh? Yuh ain't nothing! Jest an' embarrassment tuh me!" the voice snarled. A voice that, as near as Omega can tell, is coming from his metallic throat.

"Ah only started trainin' ta make yuh proud of me! Ah can do anythin' that uh son cou'd have done! Believe me!" Bunnie pleaded. More static cleared away from Omega's vision revealing that they were no longer in the ruined streets of Robotropolis, but in the dimly lit living-room of a house. At the young doe kitten's pleading, the owner of voice, whom Omega could clearly identify as being drunk, suddenly went berserk.

"Proud? PROUD! Of uh strawberry flavor'd piece o' fluff like you? Ah can't believe yuh think Ah'd ever, EVER feel anythin' but disgust fer tha girl who cost mah darlin' wife her life! Yuh worthless lil…" From the right hand corner of Omega's range of vision shot a brown furred paw. Almost before he could register the appendage's presence it backhanded the child, sending Bunnie flying across the room to bounce into a wall before crashing in a heap to the floor.

Amazement filled Omega's mind as he felt an odd sensation of guilt and horror at the act. From somewhere in the robotic shell, something cried out in anguish at the vicious act that could never be undone, and the SWAT-bot Elite's own vocalizer almost gave voice to that anguish. Once more the static arose, obliterating the robot's vision for a few seconds. When it cleared away, Omega once more stood in the wrecked street of Robotropolis, facing the teenaged cyborg again.

**(What… What… happened… to… me?)** the disoriented Omega muttered, his fingers rising to touch his forehead gingerly.

"Are you all right?" Bunnie asked suddenly, surprising herself at the concern she was showing to this robot. A single electronic eye focused in on the girl.

**"Bunnie?"** Omega whispered, the inexplicable shame brought on by the vision still with him. The rabbit's eyes widened in shock. Without explanation, Omega turned his back to his former prey, unwilling to press what would surely have been a massacre.

**(I must leave… I must be alone… Clear my mind and… think.)**

Having watched the entire drama unfold, Sonic slowly rose from the ground while clutching his side, unable to believe what just happened.

'_The metal head just let us go. He coulda flambéed us, but he didn't. He just walked off.'_ Idly his gaze drifted over to Bunnie. '_What is up with that?'_

For her part, Bunnie shook her head as she stared off in the direction of the departing robot, her arms falling to her side. Confusion of her own raced through the doe's mind. For a brief moment it had seemed as if… as if Omega had known her, recognized her. It was Sonic who snapped her out of her musing.

"Hey, don't mean to bug you but we best not look this gift horse in its mouth so to speak," the hedgehog said, shaking Bunnie's flesh arm to get her attention. "We've still got a job to do, and we don't really have time to question what just happened, no matter how much we want to."

"Ya'll 're right," the cyborg maiden concurred, shaking her head clear. "Sally's countin' on us, so now's not the time ta be thinkin'." Quickly Bunnie moved over to the hoverpad she'd used to ride to Sonic's rescue, hopping onto the disk shaped conveyance. Sonic too began to move, reaching back into his backpack to produce his power ring. A brilliant flash of gold energy signaled the object's activation, and Sonic was a sudden blur of blue motion streaking towards Command Central and, hopefully, Sally as well.

Wind whipped Bunnie's ears as she flew through the rank air of Robotropolis, her destination also Command Central, though a different part of it than Sonic. A gaping hole in the side of the fortress was quite easily seen from the doe's vantage, and silently she thanked Dulcy for being ever so direct. Wishing the dragon luck in evading the dangerous attentions her actions had no doubt garnered, Bunnie parked the hoverpad in mid-air above the hole before jumping in.

_'Well this is just a creepy lil ol' co-ink-a-dink,'_ Bunnie thought as she stared at the bars before her. Apparently the hole she'd entered through had been made in the side of an empty cell, its interior dark from disuse. With effortless ease, the Freedom Fighter ripped the cell door from its railing, removing it from being an impediment to her journey.

"Tails!" the rabbit yelled as she began to walk through the cell block, her gaze bouncing back and forth to try to catch sight of the cub. "Where the hoo-ha are… YOU!" Abruptly Bunnie stopped, having finally found an occupied cell. That the occupant was not the person she was looking for only made the sight even more repugnant.

Snively stood at the bars of the cell, his hands griping the metal bar as his mouth hung open and his eyes grew wide at what he saw. How long ago had it been that the human had, rather sarcastically, suggested to Tails that the Freedom Fighters would come crashing through the walls to save him? And now, mere moments after something knocked a hole in the prison wall, here stood the belle of the bunch herself.

Deciding that even if he was not who she wanted Snively might know where Tails was, Bunnie opened her mouth to speak, only to be interrupted.

"Never fear Tails! The Freedom Fighters are most certainly coming for you! In fact, Bunnie is about to come bursting through the wall while wearing a polka-dot bikini and carrying a pot of warm honey!"

"What?" the offended rabbit practically shrieked, her nose wrinkling in disgust at the very notion of such an idea.

"Damn it all! Why do I always miss my chance?" the lecherous human lamented. Suddenly Bunnie's angry face glared at him.

"Look, ah don't have time fer yer nonsense. Tell me where Tails is." At the rabbit's request a sly smile spread across Snively's face.

"Well my dear, I am a firm believer in the concept of 'give and take,'" the human said, his right eyebrow rising suggestively. "I'll be most happy to point you in the young fox's direction, provided you're willing to give me two objects you happen to possess… and I'll even give them back to you when I'm done." As he said this, Snively's hands rose to the level of Bunnie's chest before making groping motions. For a singular instant, the fem-bunny said nothing. Then a seductive smile crossed her own features as she approached the cell. A bead of sweat suddenly formed on Snively's brow as it seemed he was about to realize all of his naughtiest dreams.

'_I can't believe this is going to…'_

"ACK!" the little human yelped as a metallic hand closed around his elongated nose like a vice before yanking him hard into the bars. Fury danced through Bunnie's green eyes as she glared at him.

"Now you listen here and you listen good. Evah since you came ta Knothole, ya been making all sorts of lewd little looks and comments. Ah've been a good sport and turned the other cheek in the name o' keepin' the peace, and 'cause it was just a little more trouble than it was worth to chuck yer narrow butt in the river, but afta today mah patience has just been worn out.

"Get this through yer creepy lil' lightbulb shaped head," Bunnie growled, staring into Snively's beady little puce eyes. "Ah. Love. Thee. NOT!" With each of these words, the doe used a little more energy to pull the object of her rage forward, forcing Snively against the bars even harder for emphasis. "An' no amount of ANYTHIN' is gonna change that. Now you tell me where Tails is this instant or Ah won't bother usin' the door ta take you outta here!" It was only to his credit that Snively managed to gulp.

After a hastily spoken explanation of the fox's supposed whereabouts, both human and lapine are soon running through the corridors of Command Central. Their pace was broken as a forgotten imperfection in the floor managed to catch hold of Snively's foot, causing him to trip and sending several of the papers he was carrying falling to the floor.

"Blast it all. Bunnie, wait a minute. I have to collect my things again," the human whined to his furry companion, crouching down to snatch up the lost pages. Whatever pity these words were intended to summon failed to arrive as the rabbit growled audibly and did not slow down.

"Pick up the dang pace or Ah'll leave ya behind fer Naugus ta get," she snapped, not even bothering to spare him a glance. "I'm here ta save Tails, an' I can do that with or without you and yer stupid papers." Despite this setback, the pair did manage to arrive at their destination together, namely the door to Princess Sally's old bedchamber. It was here that, according to Zero, Tails had been taken, information that Snively, firm believer in the principle of give and take, had passed on to Bunnie in exchange for the continued use of his nose. Just as with the door to the King's bedroom, this one too had been reinforced by a giant crystal gleaming in the dim light.

"It would seem pant, pant that someone is rather against anybody getting in here," Snively noted, secretly glad for the enforced pitstop, if only so that he could catch his breath.

"Ah'm not just anybody," Bunnie commented, her eyes narrowing at the glittering barrier. "Mind yer eyes," she warned as her shoulder muscles tightened. Before her loathsome companion could ask what for, a cybernetic punch collided with the gigantic gemstone. The impact was more than the lattice structure could handle as cracks rapidly criss-crossed over the surface area of the crystal. It held for only a second or two more before the entire thing shattered in an explosion of crystalline splinters. Reflexively Snively covered his face to avoid being blinded as the fragmented jewel pieces peppered the opposite wall. Another cybernetic punch connected and a second shower of shards became airborne. A third and a fourth blow were needed before enough of the offending barrier was successfully removed to allow Bunnie to grab hold of the real obstacle, the room's door. Gritting her teeth the Freedom Fighter pulled with all her might, cracking the rest of the crystal in half as she finally gained entry to the room proper.

Inside, the moldy old room was dimly lit.

"Tails," Bunnie called out, though nobody answered. In fact, nobody seemed to be here at all.

_'Now that's weird,'_ the rabbit thinks, puzzled as she casts glances about the room. _'Why would that ol' poop Naugus go ta all the trouble ah sealin' this place off with magic if'n the little guy wasn't even in here ta find?'_ Her eyes drifted toward the bed, seeing naught but blankets.

And what appeared to be a pillow made from a thick, silvery material. As if drawn by some unknown instinct, Bunnie found herself moving over for a closer inspection.

Behind her Snively finally entered the room as well, dusting himself off of the crystal shards as he did so. That the room he entered now was so dusty and unkempt did nothing to help him feel any cleaner.

"What on Mobius were we paying the cleaning crew for," the sarcastic human commented with a snide chuckle. When no answer from his reluctant companion came, a puce eye glanced over at Bunnie with concern. The doe stood next to the bed, her back to the little man whose attentions she'd spurned, her body unmoving to the point of rigidity. A horrible sense of dread filled the treacherous lecher, the sense that something horrifying now hung over their head. A sudden sob escaped his lapine ally's lips, a clear indicator that, at the edge of those beautiful emerald eyes, tears were beginning to form. When she next spoke, it was in a weeping voice, crushed and heartbroken.

"Oh no…"

**End Of Chapter**


	30. System Reboot

_Author Notes: Hey, hey! Hey, hey, hey, hey, heeeeeey! Here we are again!_

_Let's give the sterling scribe who goes by the name of Asher Tye a real big hand of applause for toiling to have the latest chapter of Mutant Body, Mobian Heart ready before Christmas!_

_We both hope that every loyal follower of this long-running yarn enjoys the last installment of the year!_

**Chapter 30**

**System Reboot; The Beginning Of The End**

Through the decrepit and decayed streets of Robotropolis the once imposing form of Lieutenant Omega staggered.

Staggered.

He; who was a perfect machine.

He, who possessed a skeleton that was made of unfeeling metallic bones that could never ache and whose structural mass had been designed to balance perfectly with the rest of his body.

And yet still he was staggering as he moved forward.

Had his AI been running at its normal, optimal parameters, this might have given him cause for annoyance. As things stood however…

Had Omega been a creature of flesh and blood, one might have ventured to say that he was feeling all screwed up. Being a machine, though, the phrase "had a screw loose" might have been a more apt metaphor.

But the fact remained; this had been the state of the lieutenant ever since he'd looked into Bunnie's beseeching green eyes.

**_(What… what is wrong with me?)_ **he thought in mounting anguish, unable to understand what was going on. **(__****I **am a machine. A being of nuts and bolts; of wires and circuits. My armor is impenetrable because there is naught inside me to wound. I am perfect!) Again and again Omega repeated these facts, mentally chanting them like a mantra he is desperate to believe again. But, even as he concentrated on this and nothing more, something deep inside that supposedly hollow armor is telling him different.

Without realizing it, the SWATbot Elite's feet had taken him to none other than Command Central itself.

Not too long ago, Sonic himself had rocketed up the very steps the robot's legs now climb, intent on plucking his fair princess from a situation most terrible. As he moves, Omega neither knows this information, nor cares of its existence. He has all but forgotten his pledge to be the one who annihilates the Priority One Hedgehog. In fact, after looking into the eyes of Bunnie, he would be hard pressed to find any purpose to his existence.

Quietly the robot entered the decaying nerve-center of the crumbling empire, his body continuing to move forward only do to a distinct lack of desire to command his legs to stop. The sight of a small figure, or at least one smaller than he, standing in the middle of the hallway drew him toward it like a magnet. The crimson eye of the SWATbot looks down upon none other than the roboticized form of Captain Depardieu, still standing with his arms outstretched, awaiting the presence of a yellow cape that has long since ceased its existence.

Staring into the unmoving eyes of the silent worker-bot calls back the same hatefully alien sensation to Omega that Bunnies eyes had sent coursing through his digital mind. It is great enough to elicit an unfamiliar sound from the SWATbot's voice synthesizer, a shocked gasp.

**"I-I know you! From… a dream!"** Omega declared, pointing a finger at the roboticized Mobian. The anomalous fact that the finger was trembling only served to heighten how disjointed the enforcer was.

From where he stood, Captain Depardieu made no reply.

At least, not one that was verbal.

Omega stood frozen as the robotic eyes of the coyote suddenly flashed bright, in clear defiance of the machine's powered down state.

As though obeying a hidden command, the crimson visor that served as Omega's own optics flashed as well, indicator of a connection established between the two mechanical beings.

In silence, something passes from the worker-bot to the SWATbot.

And in turn, something else passes from the SWATbot to the worker-bot.

From deep within their metallic shells, something awoke once more, freed from captivity long endured.

The task completed, their eyes dull back to normalcy, though neither one can be counted as normal anymore.

**"I-I remember! Who I was…"** Omega exclaimed, feeling as one who has just been revived from a ten year coma. As the shock settled over him, the SWATbot took a stumbling step back from the worker-bot, something the worker-bot mimicked, breaking its frozen stand for the first time in a decade.

**"No,"** Captain Depardieu corrected. **"Who you are."**

* * *

Elsewhere, Ari and Rotor were also within the limits of the dark city, their absence only necessary as they too had an important role to fulfill in Sally's rescue plan. Like their friends, the walrus and ram's part began in one of Robotropolis's many deserted streets. On the ground before the duo rested a soggy cardboard box, a long abandoned plastic milk crate, and a large, empty biscuit tin pitted with rust. All three had been placed upside down, the better to hide the little "surprises" they had inside for whoever was foolish enough to be pursuing their friends. Rotor and Ari had been careful to place them far enough apart so that they would look like any old random pieces of trash, since it wouldn't do to give them away easily.

Rotor grunted a bit as he bent over, taping down the flaps of the cardboard box which the wind seemed intent on blowing out of place.

"There," he muttered satisfied that the box would not be going anywhere until the big moment.

"Certainly looks like it'll stay put now," Ari said, observing the sixteen strips of adhesive the young inventor had employed.

"So… Now what do we do?" Rotor asked as he rose to his feet again. Having never spent much social time with the elder Ari, the walrus was feeling somewhat awkward around the other.

_'Guess this is what it feels like when the cool kid and the science nerd get stuck in detention on Saturday morning,'_ he thought. Ari didn't answer at first.

Something had disturbed the ram; something in his very bones warns him that something has gone terribly wrong. Something that calls for action, decisive and clear.

"Maybe we should go over the plan again?" Rotor asked trying to alleviate what he could only assume was as much an uncomfortable situation for Ari as it was for him.

"Why?" the ram asked. "It's not like it's changed since we made it."

"Well, it'll help pass the time, if nothing else." Rotor pulled a small remote form his bandolier. "Once they get Tails, Sally and the others will make a bee-line for this street, while Dulcy keeps the stealthbots and everything else that flies off their backs. Sonic will, of course, get as many of the SWATs to peel off and follow him. Then, when Sally, Tails, and Bunnie make it past our little trash pile, I give this a little push and then… Uh-oh!" As Rotor moved to demonstrate by aiming the remote at the seemingly random pieces of trash, his grip slipped and the remote fell. Ari's leg moved quickly, catching the small device with the toes of his boot before flipping it into his gloved hands.

"And Mom said all those hours of hacky-sack were a waste," the ram smirked before handing the remote back to its grateful owner.

"Thanks for saving my... bacon?" Rotor stammered out before noticing he was now talking to the ram's back. A horned head turned slightly to see the walrus.

"I should be back soon, but if I'm not, make sure to carry out the plan, okay?" he said.

"What's going on?"

"I'm just going to see if my bones can be trusted or if Ma really did raise a big idiot like a certain two-tailed little smart-mouth suggested." As the two Freedom Fighters parted ways, one to hide, the other to do recon, neither noticed a cloaked figure silently watching them from the rooftops.

His curiosity satisfied, the Awakened One turned and disappeared into the darkness.

It didn't take long for Ari to make it to Command Central, his legs mounting the stairs with quick, long strides.

_'How odd,'_ he thought to himself, '_that a mere energy crystal miner like me would set foot into the royal palace itself. Wish it was under different circumstances._

_'Heck, comes to that, wish a lot of stuff about the past ten years was different._

'_Bah, dwelling on the past is stupid, you can't change it. Better to press on and shape the future.'_

Ari headed through the entrance hall of the citadel, just as Sally and Tails before him. There was no sign of Lieutenant Omega. Or Captain Depardieu for that matter. Not that Ari had any way to know what transpired before his arrival.

At the top of the stairs, Ari headed down a circular passage leading to a stairwell.

"Why am I beginning to feel like the butler here?" a gritty voice asked from the side of the corridor. At the sound, the ram stopped dead in his tracks, looking to his right. A figure that is neither machine nor Mobian leans nonchalantly against the curve of the wall, his arms crossed over his massive, muscular chest. "I don't suppose I could get you to tell me just how many of you Wonder Pets are gonna be dropping by tonight. It'd make my job a lot easier," Zero drawled on. Even as he spoke, the Hunter-Executioner found himself of two minds concerning this unexpectedly discovered intruder.

Firstly was annoyance, as Zero had been on his way to Princess Furry the First's old room to check on something.

But secondly was intrigue. This was indeed Zero's first time meeting a Mobian of equal physical build to him.

"You're the guy who tried to burn down Knothole, aren't you?" Ari asked, though his tone of voice indicated any answer besides the affirmative would simply not be believed.

"Yeah, sorry about how sloppy that was," Zero apologized, rubbing the back of his head. "I would have stuck around to make sure to do the job right, but I did have smaller foxes to fry." At this, Ari's eyes narrowed into little slivers of flint.

A mounting bubble of tension rose between the ram and human as they each waited for the other to make the first move.

"You know," Ari finally began in a conversational tone, "everyone back home has been trying their hardest to wrap their heads around what Naugus wants with Mobius. Or whether Needle-Nose is working for him or has really gone straight. Heck, there have even been questions as to why a single fox cub with two tails was worth trying to attack Knothole. There's been so much speculation and so many theories, you'd almost think we were debating a historical event rather than what's going on right in front of us.

"And then there's you. Nobody seems to have even a clue about you."

"Me?" Zero mouthed, pointing a beefy finger at his chest as a mask of utter surprise appeared on his face.

"Yeah, you. All anybody seems to think is you're just some new human we simply haven't met before. Nobody seems interested in asking the three big questions about you." A short laugh escaped the ram's muzzle. "Not that I'm can't understand why the Princess and King Max haven't been sparing you more than a passing thought. Sally's worried sick over the cub Naugy seems to think is part of a lending policy, and His Majesty has to concern himself more with the good of the villagers.

"Me on the other hand, I'm just sweat and muscle. A soldier first and foremost. And that means I have all the time in the world think about you. Like who you are and where you came from. And, maybe even more importantly, what you're really after. You see, I don't believe for an instant you just dropped out of the heavens to help Naugus, any more than I think you give even a fig about that old rascal's plans. So I have to ask, what's your angle?" At this, Zero's eyes grow hard and narrow. When next the Hunter-Executioner spoke, it was in a rumbling voice of controlled fury.

"I was to be the first. The first in a new breed of warriors, warriors who would change the world itself. But it was not to be. In one fell swoop, I fell from grace and into dishonor, condemned to sleep for all eternity." Ari's eyes widened.

"Wow, harsh," he commented glibly. "Now what could a nice fella like you have possibly done to deserve that?"

"I was found guilty of trying to murder the daughter of my country's leader," he growled like a thundercloud ready to burst.

"Yep," Ari responded, "I guess that would do it." Slowly the ram began to continue on his way again. "Sorry to cut this short, but I haven't got time to waste." As he walked past the human, Zero finally moved, pulling himself off the wall to make request.

"Fight me." Once more Ari stopped in his tracks, though he did not deign to turn to face the human.

"That's funny; you didn't seem that interested in a direct fight back in Knothole."

"Like I said, I was on the clock back at your little 'Wildlife Woodstock.' But now? My time is my own, so I can do what I want. And what I want is to fight the only creature on this whacked out world that might be a physical match for me."

"I'm touched," Ari answered. "And I'll admit, between the two of us, I'm curious as to who'd win. But just like you had a 'job' to do yesterday, I got one now." Once again, Ari began to walk off, shrugging his brawny shoulders. "Guess you'll just have to learn to live with unsatisfied curiosity, because I don't have time to waste on mindless goombas who would eat their newborn calf if their master ordered them to."

Zero's eyes turned sour as he stood watching the departing ram's back.

Then a gleam flashed in his brutal eyes.

Where there was a will, there was a way.

And the Hunter-Executioner had will even if the ram did not.

Waiting only long enough for Ari to turn the corner, he slipped after his unwilling adversary.

* * *

Back in Knothole, the Royal Nursemaid Rosie sat alone on the sole log at the grotto, staring down into the bright blue waters of the Power Ring Pool. A she stared; she couldn't help but feel a bitter smile cross her face.

_'What is it about this spot?'_ she wondered. _'Why is it that depression seems to drive the feet of all to this place?'_ The woodchuck's mind wandered to thoughts of her loved ones. Sally, Sonic, Rotor, Bunnie, and Tails. All five of the children that she had practically raised as her own had left this village, and somewhere in her heart lay now the steadily growing doubt that she would ever again lay eyes on them.

_'Only Antoine remains to me, and soon even he might be…'_ At this thought, Rosie buried her face in her paws as tears threaten to engulf her once more. Breathing heavily, she steeled her emotions, unwilling to allow herself to think of the worst, even as she cannot deny the terrible truth. She is no mere child who can be comforted by denying what is reality.

Antoine's lungs, damaged by the inhalation of the smoke, will not allow him to survive. The coyote is going to die.

Again grief washed over her, grief over the present state of affairs in Knothole. Quietly the woodchuck wondered whether the village would be able to endure its bitterest ordeal yet, despite the fractures that have spread through its very foundations and threaten even now to shatter it irrevocably.

_'Is all that I have known for the last ten years doomed to fall apart, to erode into nothingness like some sandblasted cliff-face?'_ Even as she pondered this horrible turn of events, her mind turned backwards, wading through memories of the past like a lost wanderer in some deep fog.

And from that hazy fog emerged a face.

A beautiful face who's owner now lies at the heart of so much of the division and strife.

The face of the vixen whom Princess Sally had asked Rosie of this very night.

The old Nanny remembered quite well how the two of them met. It was a brief meeting, but brief meetings were often the most memorable.

Ten years ago. The very day before the coup.

_Rosie had been summoned to meet with the King, a summons that had also required a certain sense of confidentiality._

_Of course, it had not escaped her shrewd notice that they were also alone. And neither had the awkward, almost nervous, look on his face._

_If she hadn't known better, and perhaps if she'd been a few years younger, then she might have thought that His Majesty was about to make a proposition._

_"Rosie," the King began. "I have a task for you, one of great importance that I can only trust to you. In a few hours, a guest will be arriving in Mobotropolis."_

_"It must be quite an important guest if their arrival is linked to an important task Your Majesty wishes me to perform," Rosie responded. _

_"Yes," Max agreed with a smile on his face, "she most certainly is. Particularly to me."_

'Her?'_ Rosie thought, her eyes growing wide. _'As in, a female visitor.'_ At once she mastered herself, removing any trace of what she felt at this declaration. It did not due to openly question one's monarch._

_"Now then, it is imperative that the lady's arrival be kept a secret," the King continued, unaware of the woodchuck's thoughts. "You will meet her in the public park and return to the palace post haste. Afterwards, it is my hope you will assist her in getting ready to attend the royal ball we are having to commemorate our city's victory in the Great War." At her King's words, Rosie had to work hard to suppress a frown, very hard indeed. After all, it had only been five years since the former Queen had passed, a mere five days after giving birth to the young Princess._

'Everyone must move on sooner or later, this I understand only too well. But still, King Acorn is… well… a King. For him to be cavorting about with some fancy woman, to be having a fling, it's simply… scandalous.' _That was when a new puzzle crossed the woodchuck's mind. '_But… where did he meet her? And just who is this mystery woman? Does the King really intend to dance with her in front of the royal court?'_ Reining in her feelings, Rosie courteously accepted this task, asking by what means she would be able to identify this "lady."_

As her memory ended, Rosie let out a sigh. She'd honestly thought the lady had gone to the roboticizer, enslaved like so many others on that tragic day so long ago. And yet, as she'd heard Bunnie's description of that tragic vixen that had died mere minutes after giving birth to young Tails, she'd known instantly it was the same one she'd escorted to the palace and the King before.

A shot of worry raced through the Nanny's mind as she considered what might happen if Sally learned the vixen's connection to her father, even if the elderly servant was not entirely sure what that connection was.

'_Of course, how much longer can that information realistically be kept from her?'_ The time for introspection was over, however, as she had to return to check on Antoine.

As she walked towards the medical hut, Rosie ignored the signs of unrest all around her. The telltale indicators that the population of the village was still up in arms over the events of the previous day.

They mattered nothing next to the disturbing discovery she made as she entered the hut.

During her absence, unwilling to leave one of her own alone and injured, Rosie had left someone else to watch over the coyote. In fact she had left three, in the form of a pig named Louis, a parrot named Flicky, and a dog named Art. None of which are anywhere to be seen now.

Whatever displeasure Rosie might have felt over their abdication of their duties was forgotten as she made another important discovery.

Antoine too was gone, as are a great many of the oxygen tanks kept on stand-by in case of emergency.

**End Of Chapter**

_Author Notes - And we're back for a few last words before X-Day's much-awaited arrival!_

_Perhaps some of you are wondering about the second half of the title! It's called that because this chapter marks the beginning of the final run! The plot will begin the final leg of its journey to the conclusion as of next chapter! Hope you're all ready for this!_

_See you again when 2011 speeds by! I'm sure that it'll arrive too fast for the naked eye!_

_C ya!_


	31. Sonic vs Naugus

_Author Notes - Yes indeed, fellow Freedom Fighters! Asher Tye and I are indeed still here! Don't tell us you forgot about us!_

_Let me start out by saying that I hope everyone had themselves a Cool Yule and have so far enjoyed an even better New Year! I know I enjoyed Christmas! Hey, how could I not? I was the lucky receiver of the DVD box set of Death Note ("Just as planned!") and Splatterhouse for the PS3! Let me tell you something, it took my ages to memorise all the attack patterns of the fiendish foes from the original arcade game (included with the remake as an unlockable extra) but it was worth every second of my time! And with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Green Lantern, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides soon to hit the silver screen as well as Batman: Arkham City due to take the PS3 by storm, how the hell can it not be a fantastic year?_

_I regret to say that I owe you guys an apology. By rights, you ought to have gotten this chapter sooner than now but due to an unfortunate misunderstanding (which I take full responsibility for seeing as it was completely my fault) that didn't happen. I can only blush for this transgression and trust that your patience is rewarded by this funtastic new installment of MBMH. By the way, let's hear it to the brilliant Asher Tye for writing it!_

_Enjoy!_

**Chapter 31**

**Sonic vs Naugus; When sorcery and science collide**

Within seconds of his disorientating confrontation with Lieutenant Omega Sonic had managed to reach Command Central, his every sound-barrier shattering footstep driven onward by the desire to see that some well deserved sonic chaos was visited upon Ixis Naugus. He moved like lightning, up the steps, through the entrance, across the hall, and up the stairs, just as so many feet had preceded his. Nothing could stop him, no barrier of man or magic made.

Nothing save for the sight awaiting him at the end of his journey.

In a blue blur of motion, Sonic arrived on the scene, ready to save Princess Sally from whatever devilry her unwanted host may have given her. But what his emerald eyes spied as he entered caused him to come to a screeching halt, an incredulous gasp escaping his lips.

Sally stood in the middle of the room, one of her slender ankles encased in a metallic shackle that seemed out of place in this crystalline world, but hold the squirrel in place nevertheless. Naugus loomed over her, a sinister figure radiating a sorcerous light from his gloved hand as he evoked some spell of no doubt great and ancient power. But the last and most shocking thing of all was Tails.

It was Tails, but not the Tails Sonic had known for almost all of the cub's life. The fox the Freedom Fighters had come so far and gone through so much danger to rescue on this dark night had changed, and not for the better. Wrapped now in a dark blue cloak, his face grinning in a near infinite malice at the trapped and helpless figure of Princess Sally, he seemed more like a little demon than Sonic's little brother.

Sonic had never been what someone, anyone, would call a deep thinker. When given the choice he often preferred "doing" to "thinking." Action solved most of his problems, in far more entertaining ways than thinking ever did.

But just because Sonic was not known for his mental feats did not mean his brain was an untrained muscle suffering from atrophy.

'_This isn't possible,'_ the hedgehog thought to himself, not in a panicked way, but calmly, rationally, and with absolute certainty. _'There's no way my little bro could ever be such a mondo uncool geek like this.'_ Hedgehog brow furrowed as Sonic made his final conclusion. _'Whoever this little creep is, it can't be Tails.'_

Without even a second thought as to the consequences, Sonic leapt in between Sally and her horn-headed assailant. A loud cry escaped the squirrel Princess's mouth as he planted himself directly in the path of danger, but Sonic refuses to move.

Surprise crossed Naugus's face as well since he was not expecting to be so interrupted, but not all surprises are unwelcome and a sharp cackle escaped the wizened wizard's lips as he saw his chance to crystallize two foes with a single spell.

_'Oh yes, from afar my magics may not have been able to bring you low, Quickster,'_ Naugus thought with a grin, _'but at this distance, you cannot help but be overwhelmed by my power!'_ Emboldened by this prospect, the mish-mash Mobian prepared to deal the final, crushing blow in the conflict between himself and the Freedom Fighters.

But the squirrel and the sorcerer were not the only ones to react to the Hero of Mobius's sudden, unexpected arrival. From where he stood, the disturbing expression of perfidious glee that had so recently graced Miles Prower's face was wiped clean. Indeed now the fox-cub looked as though someone had just slugged him in the stomach, his body breathless and swaying from side to side as though he were on the verge of collapsing. Very slowly his mouth opened and closed, trying to form the name of his anointed big brother only for the first syllable to become stuck in his throat like a chunk of stale bread.

Sonic himself was not idle as he watched the mystical spell form, seconds away from engulfing both himself and his chosen mate. Against such power, he knew there was only one hope to defend them both. A last resort that has never failed them before and, he hoped, will not fail them now.

Inside Sonic's new brown backpack, acquired as a replacement for the older one necessity had forced him to vandalize, sat their hoped for salvation; a Power Ring. The hedgehog had known he'd been extremely lucky to find one just in time at the grotto before leaving for this mission, and now his favored talisman was revealed. In the split second before the barrage of mystical energy could swallow the two Mobians whole, his gloved hands thrust forward the golden ring, holding it out like a protective shield.

That Naugus was a powerful wizard was a fact no one could dispute, but that power had been limited most severely when the old creature had escaped the confines of the Void. While within that glittering prison of a dimension Naugus could with a snap of his misshapen hand entrap someone in a shell of unbreakable crystal, here was a different story. On this plane, ruled with an iron hand by the laws of physics, his spells were forced to be far more direct in their approach to take their proper effect, making physical contact to achieve for their master victory.

And it was this that the teen hedgehog sought to prevent, as indicated by the golden glow of the now activated Power Ring.

Before astonished eyes the shining power of the ring and the dark magic of the sorcerer collided, bathing the crystal-lined throne room in a yellowish silver strobe light. It was clear this was a battle, a conflict, old as time itself; the fruits of science against the spawn of magic, the hope of freedom versus the despair of tyranny, the champions of light fighting those of darkness.

What was not clear was which would prevail this time.

And amid the influx of dazzling light, a pair of wide blue eyes took in the scene, their owner's fate lying at the heart of this blistering conflict.

* * *

Meanwhile, at his lonely post, Rotor suddenly spun around, his shocked gaze taking in the sight of an intense light sweeping across the rooftops of Robotropolis. Despite the fact that he was not able to see its source, the walrus inventor's capricious gut tells him that it can only be Command Central. And in his heart he knows one more fact for certain, whatever had happened, his friends were even now in the thick of it.

A screeching roar rippling through the air drags most, though not all, of Rotor's attention. A glance skyward revealed Dulcy gliding about overhead, still being pursued by Stealthbots. The shadows of the dueling fliers cause the streets below to seem all the gloomier in the darkness.

Then the sound of Dulcy's tail striking something was heard, and a word unfit for polite society escaped Rotor's hairy muzzle as a Stealthbot came spinning down into the street. The battered machine careened into the side of a roof, bringing debris tumbling down in a roaring cascade of stone, dust and metal. Only barely was the normally slow moving walrus able to escape being flattened.

"Too close," Rotor coughed out, rubbing himself off with one of his now tender paws. As sparks dance around the ruined Stealthbot, the walrus turned to look back at the foreboding spire of Command Central. "Well, whatever's going on over there, the others can't be in any more danger than I am here."

* * *

Back in the glittering throne room of Ixis Naugus, two monumental powers continued to clash, energy cascading about the crystalline surfaces of the walls and furniture to create a spectacular light show. It was a show watched intently by a certain small, orange fox, a crucial player in this contest between science and sorcery.

Tails had spent the last few tense minutes staring intently at the hedgehog with the golden circle of power, closed off to everything going on around him by an invisible wall of emotions. A hoarse grunting sound escaping the sandpaper dry windpipe of Ixis Naugus pulled the cub back to reality and shook the apprentice's head free of all distraction.

_'Now is not the time to be lost in pointless memory. I have made my choice to stand by Naugus and it is not a choice I will ignore.'_ Sharp canines ground together as young jaw muscles clenched in determination. _'It is time to end this dispute, permanently.'_

Grimly Tails stepped forward, straight towards the two intruding pieces of dreck who would prevent he and his Master's beautiful dream of a glorious new world order from coming true. In his tight paw the crystal dagger glittered murderously, its intended mark the pounding heart of the courageous hedgehog.

Aware of the danger, Sonic's head tilted to the side, the vision of a single emerald eye spared to watch the sharp tip of the unsheathed weapon as it approached. There was nothing he could do and he knew it. Every ounce of his strength and will was already being expended turning back the tide of dark magic being focused upon Sally and himself.

'_So this is how it's gonna end, huh? Not at the business end of a SWAT's laser or the trapped in some crystal prison, but by my own little bro…'_ Angrily Sonic's brow furrowed at that unwelcome thought. '_No! That ain't Tails! That's just some joker made up to look like him. It's not my little brother who's doing this!'_ But even with that conviction in his heart, the sight of someone who looked so much like someone he loved preparing to do him in was enough to make his very blood run cold.

Sonic had never been afraid of death. He'd never even given it a second thought. Death was something that could happen to others, not to him. And even if he did die, so long as he went down protecting his friends and family, he didn't care. But, as his eye cast backward a bit to glance at the red headed squirrel who took shelter behind him, he knew he did not have the luxury now of meeting the Grim Reaper with an audacious bow and a pithy one-liner.

With a final step Tails came to stand next to the hedgehog and squirrel, the knife in his paw raised to deliver the death blow. It was a blow that never came. The arm and shoulder refused to move, refused to deliver the ruthless fate the evil blade would promise.

From her vantage Sally watched as Tails stood frozen, locked in the grip of some internal struggle. A basic fear gripped her body, but at the same time her face was serene.

_'"And if you move again without my permission, I swear I'll carve you up like a Halloween pumpkin and send your head back to Knothole as a warning to everyone else!"'_

That horrible threat made by Tails only a few moments ago echoed in Sally's mind, along with the following taunts as to just how short-lived her faith in the cub had been. Now that same faith was being tested again, a test the Princess of Acorn was determined to pass this time.

'_This time will be different,' _she swore to herself. '_This time I will not give in. I _know, _with all of my heart and soul, that the cub I raised, the boy I loved as though he were my very own, would never descend into evil and murder. Let sooner it be me who would become such a monster.'_

Emotion, either positive or negative, had drained from Tails's fuzzy face, just as it had mere moments before. Inside the kit's mind a thought surfaced, the same thought that had resonated inside of his mind when he witnessed Sonic come running in.

'_Sonic is not dead. He's alive. My big brother is alive. I'm so… so…'_

In his paw the dagger trembled as the kit wrestled with the emotion pouring over his very being like water through a riverbed. Without conscious thought, Tails's head tilted to the side, his eyes meeting those of Sally Acorn. Loving warmth radiated back at him from those gentle depths, helping to soothe the deeply conflicted cub, letting him know that all would be okay.

With her faith in the child vindicated, Sally reached out to once more take possession of the evil blade, this time finding no resistance as she did so.

Still smiling, the Princess of Acorn began to pry open the remaining shackle around her leg, content in the knowledge that her first assumption had been right. This was not Tails, but rather the pure rage that had burned for so long in his broken heart. Someone had just needed to calm the flames, a task best suited for a mother's touch when the time was just right. Sally was not deluded enough to think they had completely passed through this infernos of resentment, but they had passed the worst part, and with that knowledge her soul soared on wings of joy. Her Tails was indeed still there within that awful shell; he simply needed the undying love and faith of his family to rescue him.

In the next moment, two things occurred. The first and most immediate was that the shackle between Sally and freedom snapped open with a loud pop, releasing the squirrel from Naugus's evil thrall. The second and more important event was that the contest between Sonic's Power Ring and Ixis Naugus's malignant will reached its final climax.

The glow of power and magic faded and died as Naugus collapsed back into his thrown, panting wearily, his will denied and his magic defeated.

"So that was what all the ruckus was about," Ari stated from the entryway to the control room. Though by no means sensitive to any sort of magic, the ram could not help but notice intense battle going on, and had simply followed the glow, believing that any such contest would have Sonic at its heart.

The Power Ring now drained, Sonic lowered it, turning from his foe to stare at the blank faced Tails and finally at Sally, unsure of what next to do. In all truth, and in direct contrast to what he would most likely tell his adoring public beside the campfire later, the hedgehog had not expected to survive. He had merely focused on how much he needed to win, not only for Sally's sake, but for everyone's. And somehow, he had miraculously succeeded.

'_But what's our next move?'_ he wondered.

Ears of hedgehog and squirrel began to twitch as a familiar beeping sound rang out from Tails's right paw. N.I.C.O.L.E. was receiving a signal from another Freedom Fighter's communication device, the one belonging to Bunnie.

"Sally-girl… are ya… are ya there?" the cyborg asked in a voice that trembled in unbearable anguish.

"Bunnie. Yes, I'm here," Sally responded, taking hold of N.I.C.O.L.E., Tails not even trying to stop her.

"Ah… Ah have somethin' ta report, Sally-Girl. Ah've… Ah've… … … … Ah've found Tails, but he's…" The sound of hard sobbing overtook the rabbits voice, preventing her from completing her message.

**End of Chapter**


End file.
